Volume XXI - Broadsheet - Issue 6

uo The University Observer Magdalene Laundries Maeve O’Rourke on the legal struggle behind the Laundries

Soccer We look at UCD AFC’s future in the first division

Su elections this year’s SU election candidates in profile

Above: education officer election candidates sharon ryan and dannii curtis exchange nomination signatures

Siobhán Carr p9

Ciarán Sweeney P20

Broadsheet P3

photo joanna o’malley

Cian Carton News Editor UCD President Professor Andrew Deeks has initiated an internal review process on the structure of disciplines within the university. This could see major structural changes as part of the reform in pursuit of the institutions objectives laid out in the UCD Strategy 2015-2020.

UCD staff were sent an internal discussion paper, entitled “Defining Disciplines and Aligning School and College Structures.” The report provides a comprehensive review of the system of disciplines in UCD set forward to open discussion within the university about suggested reforms. The university’s academic structure is currently made up of a two level form, consisting of 38 Schools and 7 Colleges.

The document, obtained by the University Observer, was referenced in the President’s Bulletin #49 which was sent out on the 13th January to all UCD staff members. In it, Deeks explains that Objective 3 of the Strategy 2015-2020 is to “Consolidate and Strengthen our Disciplines.”

This will be carried out through “external comparison and internal discussion.” External comparison resulted in the creation of the 9 page discussion paper, and marks the beginning of a period of internal discussion within the university.

faculties set for mergers and reforms The discussion paper reiterates the target of having each discipline within UCD being ranked within the top 100 in the world by 2020. This will be achieved through “external benchmarking and internal discussion.”

The document explains how UCD wishes to have a reputation as a research-intensive university. On a global basis, the document notes how research-intensive universities are seen to have traditional discipline names, supported by a flexible interdisciplinary structure which allows for innovation. It warns against UCD following the trend of “new universities,” which are seen to use “trendy” names for its disciplines. There is a strong emphasis on how the names of schools must be “understandable to a global audience,” for traditional disciplines are “readily translated and understood around the world.”

The UCD College of Human Sciences is one of the largest colleges in the university, and incorporates the Schools of Economics, Philosophy, Psychology, Politics and International Relations, and Sociology, amongst others. Human Sciences has a wide variety of definitions. The report states that UCD’s definition of it means “Social Sciences +” and is described as

“very confusing to outsiders.”

Similar concerns are aired about the College of Arts and Celtic Studies. It contains most of the Schools which offer modules as part of UCD’s BA in Arts programme.

The term “Celtic Studies” is neither internationally recognised, nor used by some of the “most distinguished schools in the area.”

The College of Business and Law could be set for a major change.

The paper states that no leading UK university has a similar structure, while no Business or Law schools within the top 100 use this structure.

Most universities have either a standalone Business School, or one within a College of Social Science.

Of the top 6 UK law schools, three are standalone facilities, while the others are part of a College of Social Sciences. Placing the Law School within a new College of Social Science may be the most likely move for UCD. Colin Scott, Principal of the College of Human Sciences, previously served as the Dean of Law in UCD from 2011-2014, before being appointed to his current post.

Structures which were seen to be of a conventional standard included the College of Science, and the Schools of Economics, Education, and Philosophy.

Slight alterations seemed to be

the preferred options for the Schools of History and Archives, Chemistry and Chemical Sciences, and Mathematical Sciences. They could be brought into line with the titles of the Schools of “History,” “Chemistry,” and “Mathematics.”

Individual members of staff, schools and colleges were invited to make submissions on the document, by discussing the “pros and cons of possible options” or offering alternative ideas. This process closed on the 16th February, and is set to be reviewed at a meeting of the University Management Team (UMT) on the 3rd March.

The key focus in the report on external benchmarking centres on international rankings, with repeated references to the QS World University Rankings made throughout the document. In 2014, UCD maintained its position in 139th place in the QS rankings, the same as in 2013. Reporting on the rankings, RTÉ noted that they play a large role in attempts to attract international students.

The QS rankings consider 6 main factors, and attribute a certain weight to each one. Academic reputation is valued the highest at 40%, while the student:faculty ratio and citations per faculty both carry a weighting of 20%. Employer

reputation makes up 10% of the ranking, with 5% going for each of an institution’s international staff and student ratios.

In contrast to QS, UCD fell sharply in the Times Higher Education World Rankings, down to the 226th-250th bracket for 2014. It was ranked in 89th place in 2009. Deeks was quoted at the time as saying that “a table with big swings each year generates more attention than one that changes slowly. Yet universities, by their nature, change on a long time scale.”

The document is evidence that his attitude has not changed, given that the Times rankings are not mentioned in the paper.

Faculty reform is just one part of the major plans set out in the UCD Strategy 2015-2020.

Announced on the 11th November 2014 by Deeks, alongside Jan O’Sullivan, Minister for Education & Skills, the plan set out ten key objectives to turn UCD into an institution that is know for its “world-leading disciplinary and interdisciplinary research.” It attracted national media attention for its aim of becoming a top 10 university for “global engagement” by 2020.

grading error could spell issues for ucd Roisin Nicholson - Staff Reporter UCD Registry has issued an apology to Politics students who received the wrong provisional grades from their semester one examinations.

The issue emerged this week when an email was sent from the School of Politics and International Relations to potentially affected students.

The error was expect to affect grades in three large politics modules; Introduction to International Politics (INRL10040), Introduction to Irish Politics (POL10010), and Comparative Politics: Continuity, Conflict, Change (POL20020).

Professor Ben Tonra, head of the School, stated that upwards of 900 students were registered in all modules and that around 270 were affected by the fault.

The error was largely due to a technical issue that could potentially affect the rest of the University. Tonra explained that the grading error was caused by a procedural issue that the school had faced for some time.

He outlined that the procedures for collating grades made use of two different IT systems, Blackboard and Gradebook, for which grades cannot be transferred directly.

Instead, grades were exchanged manually, until tighter budgets meant that the School needed to implement a more effective system.

This new system was first put into place for the previous semester. Tonra stated that the error resulted in a problem in “training and communication” with the new procedure. Furthermore, that they “experimented to try and deal with the problem we had been having,” and that the “experiment was not a success.”

The fundamental issue is not limited to the School of Politics, with Tonra noting a university-wide problem with IT. He stated that it was “an issue we’ve got within the University with our IT systems not talking to one another.” Tonra

claimed that it was a problem that the Registry is seriously looking into. UCD Registry could not confirm the claim that it was examining integration issues between Blackboard and Gradebook.

The website for UCD Registry describes Gradebook as a “web-based modular assessment grading entry system. It is designed to enable staff to enter marks and grades directly into the Banner Student Information System.” Banner, a system utilised

by UCD staff members, contains all the details of “programme structures, courses and modules as well as student data.” UCD staff must request online access to it. Blackboard is a virtual learning system that connects staff and students, where learning materials and announcements are made available.

A spokespersonal for UCD Registry said that the release of provisional exam results served two purposes.

Firstly, it is there for students so

they “can take the action they need to take before the beginning of the next semester.” It also gives time to rectify the results, should there be any mistakes, in situations caused by “grade entry errors.” She said that the School of Politics had identified the grade errors and rectified them in advance of the final results.

Speaking about the overall effect on grades, Tonra stated that he could not “imagine there would be any major deviations in the final grades,” which were confirmed last Thursday.

He also revealed that steps were being taken to prevent such an error occurring again, which includs tutors manually going through all grades for their tutorials with the module co-ordinator. He said that this was an issue that was mainly confined to modules with large registration and many assessment components.

Some students showed concern about a change in their Grade Point Average (GPA) before the final results

were released. Daire Campbell, a second year Politics student, stated that he was “a bit stressed and a bit worried” about his results going up or down, and the effect that this would have on his GPA. The grading error could become an issue for students applying for Erasmus and other exchange programmes, as stage GPA is taken into consideration. If the error results in a change in a student’s GPA they would then have to change their application. The closing date for applications was listed on the School’s website as February 13th, a day after the final results came out. This left affected students with very little time to alter their applications. This situation could affect the eventual degree that they are awarded, as students who complete Erasmus or another exchange scheme transfer their degree into an international degree.

February 18th 2015 Volume XXI issue 6 universityobserver.ie

FR John Misty The US Singersongwriter on the joys of life’s banalities

Rebekah Rennick otwo p14

Fashion & Style a look at the new spring/summer line from Hot mess

Lucy Coffey Otwo P21

Know your wine

the essential Student’s guide to wine david corscadden Otwo P7

Éilis Ní Dhuibhne

The celebrated writer on feminism the Irish Lanuage Patrick Kelleher otwo p26 february 18th 2015

News

national news in brief Kieran Fitzgerald

Dispute Surrounds Planned CIT and Tralee Merger lecturers at the Cork Institute of Technology (CIT), and Tralee Institute of Technology (Tralee IT), have threatened to go on strike over proposals to combine the two institutions into the Munster Technological University.

A planned merger between CIT and Tralee IT is currently ongoing, with the first phase in the procedure having already been completed. The Teachers’ Union of Ireland (TUI), which represents staff at the two institutions, already expressed “no confidence in all levels” of the process.

The TUI voiced a desire to meet with Jan O’Sullivan, Minister for Education, to clear up the controversy.

They fear that the cost of the process, an estimated €6.7 million, would not help either institution, as courses would have to be cut, and would “not benefit the students, staff, nor the wider community.”

These concerns echo those of members of the Public Accounts Committee, who said the process has not been properly budgeted in the wake of CIT’s €300,000 expenditure on due diligence.

However, the merger process is set to continue, with O’Sullivan ready to put the Technological Universities Bill before the Dáil.

This would allow institutes to seek university designation once certain criteria are met. A similar merger involving Dublin Institute of Technology (DIT) and the Institutes of Technology in Tallaght and Blanchardstown is currently waiting on the legislation to be passed.

Calls for a University for Derry THE UNIVERSITY for Derry (U4D) campaign group has called on local politicians to ensure that Derry becomes a recognised university city, at the launch of their “50 Years On - Let’s Get It Done” campaign.

Padraig Canavan, U4D Chair, has called on local Westminster and Assembly candidates to make the issue a priority for next year’s elections, urging them to ensure a university “by 2020 as envisaged in the One Plan.”

Fifty years ago, the Lockwood Report recommended Coleraine as the site for Northern Ireland’s second university, a decision which has been strongly questioned over the years.

A spokesperson for U4D said the report shamefully “turned its back on the obvious choice of Derry’s Magee College.” A spokeswoman for the Department for Employment and Learning said it was committed to the expansion of Magee, but pointed out that the Department was facing £62million budget cuts.

Magee College is a part of the multicampus University of Ulster, which has its administrative headquarters in Coleraine. The campaign comes at a time when the University announced it would cancel 53 courses, inclduing 12 from Magee campus.

International Orientation Survey Results THE national University of Ireland Galway (NUIG), and Dublin City University (DCU), have received the highest grades possible in a new European survey which measured the international orientation of higher education institutions.

230 institutions worldwide were assessed including 5 Irish universities and several Institutes of Technology. The survey by U-Multirank had four performance indicators of international orientation; focusing on teaching and learning, doctoral training, research, and the composition of academic staff.

DCU and NUIG scored four A grades in all performance indicators, two of only 27 institutions to do so. Ireland ranked in joint fifth place with institutions from Switzerland and Sweden. British universities fared poorly, with only one picking up full marks.

Professor Frank Ziegele, a leader in the project, said its results highlighted how European institutions were incorrectly represented in commercial ranking systems, such as QS and Times Higher Education rankings, which are criticised for placing a heavy emphasis on research and publishing.

Both UCD and Trinity College opted to stay out of the study.

2 february 18th 2015

UCD Hosts 2nd Annual Student Legal Convention lucy ryan - Staff Reporter

claire loftus, director of the dpp and mary lafoy, supreme court judge photo: James Brady UCD STUDENT Legal Service (UCD SLS) held its second annual Student Legal Convention last Thursday, 12th February, in the Fitzgerald Chamber. Barry O’Fiacháin, Chairperson of the SLS, stated that aim of the Convention “was to bring students from all over Ireland for a day of debate and discourse with the leading professionals in the field of law on a range of legal issues.”

The event attracted significant legal and business figures, including the honourable Ms Justice Mary Laffoy, Senator Ivana Bacik, Claire Loftus, the Director of Public Prosecution (DPP), Mark Redmond, Chief Executive of the American Chamber of Commerce, and Kevin O’Malley, the current United

States Ambassador to Ireland. Dr John Bowman, historian and RTE broadcaster, chaired the event whilst encouraging student involvement. It featured habitual Q&A sessions, and live social media updates on Twitter.

The idea of restorative justice was discussed, and featured contributions from John Lonergan, former governor of Mountjoy Prison, and Dr Patrick Magee, a former Republican activist.

Following his retirement, Lonergan released his memoirs on his time in the prison service and now gives talks on social justice and community issues. Dr Magee was a member of the Provisional IRA, best known as the “Brighton Bomber,” for his role in the 1984

targeted attack on British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher and her cabinet. Magee expressed remorse for the loss of innocent lives, and now actively promotes reconciliation alongside Jo Berry, the daughter of Sir Anthony Berry, who was killed in the blast.

Magee told the audience that he “killed that guy [Berry], this was a fine human being I killed and it suddenly becomes a measure of the loss. I think by meeting Joe and many victims since, I’ve restored something in me, and that restoration means I’ve gained part of my humanity back.”

The day’s events were brought to a close with a forum entitled “Should Ireland recognise a

right to die?” and was directed

by Dr Oran Doyle, Tom Curran and Dr Donal O’Mathuna.

Curran is the Co-ordinator for Exit International, a non-profit organisation which advocates for the legalisation of euthanasia.

Most notably recognisable as being the former partner of Marie Fleming, whose plight for the right to assisted suicide gained considerable momentum last year.

Fleming was a lecturer in UCD who challenged the State on the right to die unsuccessfully. Since then, Curran has been representing those who have wished to end their own lives through assisted suicide. His address to the audience encompassed the

nuanced legal issue of assisted suicide in Ireland. Highlighting the illegality of euthanasia in Ireland, he said that “the same people are dying, they just have control of their own death.”

O’Fiacháin stated that the success of the Convention was attributable to the SLS committee, who began preparations for the event back in June, expressing his delight at having a “good team that pulled it all together.”

Finkelstein Gives Philosophy Society’s Inaugural Address Niamh O’Regan - Staff Reporter PROFESSOR Norman Finkelstein, political scientist and activist, gave the Inaugural address of the UCD Philosophical Society to a large audience in the Newman Building on February 10th. The event had been widely anticipated due to the international attention that Finkelstein continues to attract.

Finkelstein’s area of speciality is the Israeli- Palestinian conflict.

He has traditionally been highly critical of Israel’s crusade and did not waiver in this opinion over the course of his address, which was entitled “The Martyrdom of Gaza and the Future of Palestine.” He said that the conflict had “reached the point of certifiable insanity,” while the Israeli state has gone “berserk.” Finkelstein detailed the events of last summer’s “Operation Cast Lead,” the official name for the Israeli assault on Palestine, as well as what he thought what was possible and what was not possible to do in the region, with regards to the resolution of the conflict.

For Finkelstein, the solution to the problem is simple and is a matter that does not require further negotiation, as it has been negotiated already for 35 years; Israel must return to their legal borders, “why can’t this simple solution be effective for once and for all and for the rest of humanity to move on?”

During his speech, Finkelstein was not only highly condemnatory of the Israeli offensive, but he also criticised the current US government in their defence of Israel’s action, saying that Barack Obama had three deficits; a lack of a spine, principle and courage.

He also attacked Ban Ki-moon, UN Secretary General, referring to him as a “wretched comatose puppet of the US,” with regards to the fact that he did not speak out about the Israeli assault until 51 days into last summer’s conflict.

Once Finkelstein had finished his address, he participated in a question and answers series on topics such as respect for Palestinian

sovereignty if it was to become a fully-fledged state, and the propagation of the conflict in Israel.

A question which spiked the interest of Bróna Kieran, a 2nd year student studying Law with Philosophy, concerned the power of the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) movement. Kieran noted that “something interesting was the pessimistic attitude that Norman Finkelstein adopted toward BDS and the limited scope of its capacity of reducing the tension in the area and resolving the situation.”

The address appeared to be well received by those in attendance, gaining a long round of applause and many follow up questions. Donal Meaney, a 2nd year Politics and History student, found Finkelstein to be quite engaging, and described him as “very passionate about the subject” and being much more informative than the media with regard to the details of the ongoing conflict.

Moojum Website and E-Magazine and Launched for Irish Student Entrepreneurs IAN MOORE

MOOJUM, a website Irish student entrepreneurs, is set to launch an upcoming e-magazine with the goal inspire and motivate students who have an idea or business plan. This development comes after the site was founded on the 1st of January this year.

The creators of Moojum aim to help students with great ideas to further develop them. They felt there was little entrepreneurial help or advice on the internet and even less that they could relate too.

This sentiment was echoed by Jack Parsons of Moojum, who said the site was set up “because when we

were starting out in business there was no real help out there for student entrepreneurs and we want to help any young person out there who wants to get started in business.”

He described the team as a “network of mainly students, some who have started businesses, some who are in the the process.” They already have big aspirations for their e-magazine, which launches on the 1st March, and behind the scenes they are “working extremely hard” towards their goal of having Moojum become the “most downloaded e-magazine by the end of 2015.”

The e-magazine will be completely

free, and Parsons added that it will feature “some great articles and interesting interviews.” He called it a “must read magazine for anyone with an entrepreneurial passion or anyone who wants to be an entrepreneur.”

Parsons advised those interested in entrepreneurship that the best thing they can do is simply start their project. The first issue of the Moojum e-magazine will be released on the 1st March and more information can be found at www.moojum.com. Those looking for advice can contact the team at info.moojum@gmail.com.

andrew deeks, declan mcgonagle & hugh campbell at the launch of the ucd + Ncad programme

UCD and Beacon Hospital Launch New Education and Training Academy Melissa O’Sullivan UCD and the Beacon Hospital have announced the creation of a training academy for students which will see them practise in the private hospital. Titled the UCD Beacon Hospital Academy, and set to launch in September 2015, the arrangement is the biggest to date involving the private sector participating in the medical training of students.

Located in Sandyford, Dublin, the Beacon Hospital is currently under the control of Irish billionaire businessman Denis O’Brien. UCD already has links to 11 public hospitals in the Dublin East Hospital Group, including St. Vincent’s Hospital.

The UCD Beacon Hospital Academy will provide training and education for health science students in the areas of medicine, nursing, physiotherapy and radiography. The Beacon will also play host to education programmes in healthcare management and leadership, organised by the UCD Smurfit Graduate Business School.

The Academy will begin in September 2015, with 20 undergraduate and postgraduate students in each of the two clinical years of the medical curriculum at UCD taking part in the programme.

In addition, training will be provided for other healthcare students across several specialities. A key part of the programme will be interdisciplinary training, with Professor Des Fitzgerald, Principal of the UCD College of Health Sciences,

stating that there is a need for health professionals to have more “ rounded knowledge” along with the “interdisciplinary skills required by a modern health service.”

As part of the partnership, researchers will focus on the development of new technology.

The focus will be on care in the home, rather than in the hospital, for patients who receive orthopaedic surgery, and for those with conditions like heart disease and diabetes.

This involves the use of monitoring devices to gather information on patients’ conditions and provide treatment while they are at home.

It is hoped that the programme will make the provision of healthcare more personal and precise by using advanced technology to tailor therapies to individual patients.

Leo Varadkar, Minister for Health, said that the Academy “represents the most comprehensive partnership between a public university and a private hospital group and will undoubtedly contribute considerably towards the healthcare service by advancing the way in which many patients are treated using the most modern therapy techniques.”

Varadkar called for greater cooperation between private and public hospitals in relation to the provision of hospital facilities, stating that there should be more opportunities for public hospitals to utilise the excellent facilities in private hospitals. This arrangement has been hailed as a major step in the process.

su elections 2015 Faculty officerS

President

The position formerly known as a faculty Convenor is now a Faculty officer. Only two races are contested

with four highly qualified candidates confirmed, this year’s presidential election is set to be the most competitive race in recent years

Name: Cian Aherne Studying: 3rd Year Actuarial and Financial Studies Experience: Class Rep

“My endeavours in UCD up to now have been to improve the general student experience in UCD, and this is probably the most fulfilling way I can continue in that vein.”

Name: Marcus O’Halloran Studying: 4th Year Agri-Business Experience: Auditor, AgSoc.

“I want to run for the president because I want to unite UCD again and make the Union everybody’s Union.”

education officer Two candidates are fighting for the position of education officer

ARTS AND Human SCIENCES

Name: Conor Viscardi Studying: History, Geography and Archeology Experience: Class Rep. Active in L&H and TradSoc

Name: Michael Foley Studying: 4th Year Business & Law Experience: Former treasurer, L&H (2012/2013). Assistant production manager, UCD community “I’m really involved in the Students’ “I want to cultivate a sense of pride musical (Phantom of the Opera). amongst Arts and Human Sciences Union and I strongly believe in bettering the lot of the Arts students students in their degree and in their “As someone who’s been around “I founded the Economics Society faculties. I also want to put more and improving their employability UCD for four years, I’ve seen an back last year and was elected of an emphasis on the students prospects and also creating a awful lot while working with Student auditor and saw the impact that that who are often forgotten such as more fun environment for people could make on campus. Now I want to Services and with societies. I’ve mature students and post-graduate around Newman building.” seen what’s worked well with the keep that to the next level and make students in those faculties.”

Students’ Union, what hasn’t worked an impact on how students live.” well, and everything in between.”

Name: Megan Fanning Studying: 2nd Year Economics Experience: Auditor, Economics Society. Secretary, Young Fine Gael. Former news editor of the University Observer.

campaigns and communications officer

SCIENCE

this newly returned position already has two announced candidates, with nominations closing tomorrow

Name: James Barden Studying: 1st Year Science (Mathematical, Physical and Geological Sciences stream) Experience: SU Academic Council member. Class Rep. Active in Science Society, Physics Society Name: Dannii Curtis Studying: Graduand Politics and International Relations Experience: Residences Rep. Active in Arts Society, Law Society, PleaseTalk, and Welfare Crew “I did first year over a year and a half in UCD and it would have been the Education Officer,teamed with the Welfare Officer, that would have got me through that year, so I have garnered a lot of respect for what the education officer does.”

Name: Sharon Ryan Studying: 5th Year Medicine Experience: Secretary, Musical Society

“I would like to help people have as easy of a progression through UCD with their education as possible and to help solve any personal problems or bigger issues such as libraries.”

Name: Cian Byrne Studying: Stage 3 Engineering Experience: Engineering & Architecture Convener. Active in EngSoc, UCD Volunteers Overseas

Name: Paul Dockery Studying: Second Year Politics and Economics Experience: Class Rep. Speakers Officer, Economics Society

“I feel that the Students’ Union has a lot to offer but I feel that people don’t know about it, and that’s what the position is all about, getting your face out there, getting the voice out there for the people.”

“I want to represent students on national issues, like marriage equality and student housing crises in a critical election year. I want to set a good precedent for future C&C officers to follow. I see it as a blank canvas, so I want to set a good example of what this role should be.”

welfare officer

graduate officer

A demanding and vital position in the Union, this year’s Welfare race has two candidates in competition

Uncontested in last year’s elections, two postgraduates­­­­­ will compete for the role this year

Name: Clare O’Connor Studying: Third Year Science Experience: Class Rep and Peer Mentor. Active in Ents Forum and Science Society “From my own experience I can understand how tough life can be for UCD students and I have a genuine passion for helping other people and providing support for students who are in a tough place.”

Name: Louise Keogh Studying: Second Year English and Sociology Experience: Auditor, LGBTQ+ Society “I ran the ‘Yes’ side of the SU marriage equality referendum, the voter registration campaign and other things such as wellbeing week in the LGBTQ+ society. I think all these previous experiences will help me when I am trying to deal with being in Welfare office in the SU.”

Name: Lexi Kilmartin Studying: First Year History and Politics Experience: Class Rep. Active in L&H and LawSoc

Name: Hazel Beattie Studying: Higher Diploma in Social Policy Experience: Class Rep

“This year I sat on the Student Council and I felt that there was a disconnect between the Council and postgraduate students. I want to increase engagement between postgrads and the Union and build a sense of community among postgrads.”

Name: Sharath Chandra Studying: Research Master’s, Mechanical Engineering Experience: Experience as a grad student representative in other universities

“I enjoyed my time as a class rep, but I felt that the different course streams in Science, with actuarial and computer science, weren’t very well integrated, and I would aim to integrate through societies and through the SU events.”

Name: Seán O’Doherty Studying: 2nd Year Computer Science Experience: Class Rep. Active in NetSoc, Sub-Aqua Club

“As a Class Rep, I really enjoyed being on council and having a say. I feel I could improve things around science. As a computer scientist, you would be more separate from the rest of science and I would like to break down that boundary. I managed to get a vending machine for our building, so I think I could do more.”

agriculture & Veterinary

business & Law

Name: Alison Dowley Studying: 2nd Year Animal Science Experience: Class Rep. Active in AgSoc

Name: Ryan Oakes Studying: First Year Law with Social Justice Experience: Class Rep. Active in Comedy Soc, Lacrosse

“I’m involved with the Students’ Union this year and I thought it was great. I’d like to bring the ags and vets together more and improve the general facilities across the Ag and Vet schools.”

“Since joining the Students’ Union I’ve liked being involved with it and I saw an opportunity to maybe have more influence and be able to help change things more, so I decided to take it and run for college office.”

engineering & architecture

Health Sciences

Name: Cat Galvin Studying: Stage One Engineering Experience: Class Rep

Name: Rebecca Hart Studying: First Year Nursing Experience: Class Rep. Active in Ents Crew, Music Soc and Arts Society

“I personally know a lot of graduate students who have issues that need to be dealt with. Anabel (Castaneda, current Graduate Officer) has a done very good job, but there are other issues I can handle on a more personal level.”

Oifigeach na gaeilge Name: Dónal Ó’Catháin Studying: 2nd Year Psychology Experience: Auditor, Cumann Gaelach. Irish language programming, UCDTV. Irish editor, The College Tribune “It’s been a very busy year as auditor of Cumann Gaelach, but it’s been a very rewarding year at the same time. When I end that, I want to continue my involvement with Irish on campus in some way, and Oifigeach na Gaeilge seems like the logical way to do that.”

The University Observer are collaborating with Smartvote.ie to help UCD students find the candidate that best alligns with their interests. Smartvote.ie compares your opinions on a range of topical issues to that of the candidates to find out who you should support.

The survey launches Monday, 23rd of February on Smartvote.ie

“I mainly wanted to run because I really love to help people, and I’d love to be able to help everyone in Engineering, not just first years.”

“I feel that it is a step up from class rep. It is something that I do plan on following up and going in to the SU. It is a step up from Class Rep to Health Science Officer and we will see from there.” february 18th 2015

News

international

News Analysis: TOO LITTLE SEX OUT LOUD

News in Brief valerie tiernEY

Mieke O’Brien looks at the reception to Sex Out Loud’s attempts to promote student discussions about sex

AMONG students, the act of talking about sex is performed frequently – enough to, at times, leave one to wonder just how long one could make the content of the subject matter stretch. There is high entertainment value in subjecting a friend to serious scrutiny on the subject of sex, and even though one may get tired from the repetitiveness of certain sexual tales of adventure, there remains delight in laughter when it comes to hearing about sex.

For some, however, the effect of having been subjected to numerous sexual health and sexual awareness campaigns throughout those crucial years of the sexual awakening, has manifested in the general consensus of requiring a little less talk and a little more action. Still, as the “Sex Out Loud” campaign hosted on campus last week asserted, talking about the act remains of great importance.

The institution of the Sexual Halth Awareness and Guidance (SHAG) week has become outdated, while the current edition of the

sexual health and awareness week included the contemporary issue of the importance of mutual consent.

Maeve DeSay, UCD Students’ Union (UCDSU) Welfare and Equality Officer, the main organiser of the reformed “Sex Out Loud” campaign, explained how the campaign’s aim was to “bring it back to actually talking about sex”.

Even though free condoms were still to be gathered, the “Sex Out Loud” campaign was more concerned with enticing the students to commence the conversation about consent.

As DeSay points out, “consent is something that hasn’t really begun as a conversation.” That the establishing of mutual consent on campus grounds is not always achieved, is made painfully evident by occurrences such as those in Vanderbilt, USA, where a total of six women fell victim of sexual assault.

Fortunately though, as the Vanderbilt Hustler reports, the conviction of football players Brandon Vandenburg and Corey Batey for partaking in four counts of aggravated rape and two counts of aggravated sexual battery,

has inspired plentiful discussions about sexuality and campus culture.

Yet DeSay stresses that the tagline “Consent Comes First!” of this year’s campaign was not reactive to any issues concerning consent that may have occurred on the UCD campus. As DeSay explains,”the reason it is part of the week is because consent and lack of it is something that has happened to young people, to older people; to everybody, to an extent.” And so the message of “respect for each other and respect for yourself” was constantly present in all the events organised, including the Burlesque workshop, The Big Sex Quiz, and Blind Tinder event.

The means by which the “Sex Out Loud” campaign thus attempted to transfer their educative message contrasts starkly from the method usually applied in sexual education classes. Traditionally, the often graphic imagery used to reveal the uncomfortable side effects of Sexually Transmitted Infections (STI’s) appears to aim at achieving such great trauma in the receiving subject that the latter

will, as if by natural inclination, refrain from any level of participation in the action described. The “Sex Out Loud” campaign, on the other hand, ensured using only gender neutral language to stimulate an “open and comfortable” atmosphere in which the subject of sex could be freely explored.

Yet despite their great efforts and passion, a higher attendance at certain events of the “Sex Out Loud” campaign could have been beneficial to their aim of consent being, as DeSay formulates it, “a more accepted part of a sexual experience.” About sixty contestants were present at The Big Sex Quiz, and an equally satisfactory number attended the workshop on burlesque dancing, yet Blind Tinder had to be cancelled, since all participants appeared to have been unwillingly and unknowingly nominated by others.

This signals the perhaps most pressing issue here; the campaign may have succeeded in communicating their message in an enjoyable and educational manner, yet to achieve

the desired effect, actual and genuine participation from students is required.

DeSay acknowledges that she cannot claim with certainty that the message of the “Sex Out Loud” campaign has been received by a sufficient number of students, but that she is satisfied with “having the conversation started.”

As DeSay accurately describes it, addressing the subject of sexual consent ought not to be “like a Mexican wave which then ends.” She remains hopeful that the starting of the conversation has generated a “ripple effect,” and says that she is positive that “an undercurrent that will hopefully continue throughout the year” has been developed. The “Sex Out Loud” campaign has certainly demonstrated that there lies great difficulty in reaching those who are convinced that talking about sex is not quite as exciting as the obvious alternative.

NEWS ANALYSIS: Referendums, Campaigns, and Impartiality With the return of the Campaigns and Communications Officer and the success of the marriage equality referendum, Roisin Nicholson examines the future of campaigns in UCD Roisin Nicholson - Staff Reporter “BE A DOTE, get out and vote” was the slogan for last week’s successful referendums, one for a new Constitution for UCD Students’ Union (UCDSU), with the other for UCDSU to take a “Yes” stance on the upcoming national marriage equality referendum.

Both passed with over 90% voting in favour, however the marriage equality vote saw a higher turnout. The marriage equality referendum passed with 97% of the total valid poll, which stood at 3201. The quorum needed for the motion to pass was 2302, meaning it passed with 899 more votes.

Only 10% of the student body is needed to pass a referendum. In national elections that would not see a referendum put into law, even if that 10% all supported it.

There is a significant amount of academic literature about elections and what constitutes a fair election.

It is not just instances like the Ukrainian “referendum” in Donetsk

last year where votes were forged and people were prevented from getting to their polling station that attract scrutiny. There is also a second rung of analysis that claims secondary factors such as the layout of the ballot paper, or at having least half of the population turning out, are vital issues in a vote. It cannot be fair for some people to live in a society (or campus) where decisions are made, without their input, by 10% of the population.

However, if you examine the consistently low levels of turnout for UCDSU votes, it would be impossible to pass a referendum. The new Campaigns and Communications Officer (C&C) may alleviate some of these issues. Under the new Constitution, they are responsible for “the organisation, coordination and implementation of all Union Campaigns throughout the University.” This includes “leading all national campaigns on behalf

of the union.” According to the Constitution, officers take up their position on the 15th June, but the national referendum for marriage equality will take place in May. Last week’s referendum asked “That UCD Students’ Union be in favour of Marriage Equality.” Despite the wide support across campus in favour of the marriage equality referendum, 3% voted against.

The “Yes” vote achieved gives a huge boost to the marriage equality campaign as it allows a large organisation within UCD to campaign in favour of the national referendum with students. This is of greater benefit when you consider that most of the people involved in UCDSU will have run campaigns for election, and know how to connect with the students who vote.

There may still be students in UCD that are opposed to marriage equality. They are now in a situation where their Union

is actively campaigning for something they disagree with.

That three percent may not have been voting against marriage equality, but rather against UCDSU taking a position. In the abortion preferendum last year, there was an option to vote against the UCDSU taking a position at all. The “No stance” recieved 19% of the vote amongst a valid poll of 2,527.

However, in this vote there was no such choice, leaving those who voted against seeming to be against marriage equality. With the new role of the C&C, part of which incorporates running national campaigns on campus, the Union is setting out a precedent whereby it will continue to take a position on national issues.

Presumably, the C&C Officer will campaign for the result that UCDSU wants. This opens up the question of whether or not there will be funding provided for another campaign. Trinity

Students’ Union (TCDSU) provides facilities for both the “Yes” and “No” campaigns in a referendum.

With UCDSU now having an officer specifically for promoting one side in a referendum, will there be any movements against a future UCDSU referendum? For example, a possible campus campaign next year could be to re-join the Union of Students in Ireland (USI) after it was postponed. What role will the C&C Officer play in that?

With the new Constitution, the C&C Officer may perpetuate UCDSU’s apparent policy to take stances on national issues in the coming years. The advent of an office to solely focus on UCDSU’s position leaves little room for opposition to any referendum.

Not all campaigns will have as strong a support level as the marriage equality one, but from now on most will have a fulltime officer to focus on them.

UCD Spin-out Company Awarded €800,000 Contract by European Space Agency Fergus Carroll - Staff Reporter

PARAMETER Space Ltd, a UCD spin-out company, has acquired a contract from the European Space Agency (ESA) to develop new software capable of exploiting the unprecedented volume of data returning to Earth from ESA’s Gaia satellite. The €800,000 contract will fund the three year project and allow Parameter Space to create four new jobs at the company.

This development comes as an almost immediate mark of success for Parameter Space as the company was only launched in 2014 by two astrophysicists from the UCD School of Physics, Professor Lorraine Hanlon and Dr Sheila McBreen. The pair had completed the 5-week UCD Commercialisation Bootcamp held at NovaUCD, a course that seeks

campus

News in Brief jordan kelly

UCD/ Abbey Theatre Lectures Series Returns for 2015 THE UCD School of English, Drama and Film has announced the return of the UCD/ Abbey Theatre Shakespeare Lectures for 2015. The series, which began in 2012, is a 4 february 18th 2015

to equip academic researchers and postgraduate students of UCD and NCAD with an understanding of the commercialisation process.

Both Hanlon and McBreen can already boast a healthy knowledge of this industry, as they already head up the UCD Space Science and Advanced Materials group, and together have over 30 years of experience working on space missions, including ESA’s INTEGRAL mission and NASA’s Fermi Gamma-ray Space Telescope.

“We are delighted to have secured this key contract from ESA”, said Professor Hanlon, “and our aim is to develop software tools that will provide additional capability for scientists and citizens to make use of this unique data set”. This

collaboration between the School and the Abbey Theatre. It sees renowned lecturers from UCD and elsewhere present talks on elements of William Shakespeare’s work.

Professor Andrew Murphy of University of St. Andrews will present a talk titled “Acts of Rebellion: Shakespeare and the 1916 Rising,” in the Clinton Auditorium on the 26th February at 7pm. The same venue will also play host to UCD’s Dr Naomi McAreave’s presentation on “Shakespeare and Seventeenth-Century Irish Theatre,” on the 5th March.

Wayne Jordan, director of Twelfth Night in 2014, and Gavin Quinn, director of A Midsummer Night’s

sentiment was shared by Parameter Space co-founder Dr McBreen, who stressed the experience they have developed while at UCD saying that, “the data analytics skills we have developed over many years working on fundamental physics in the UCD Space Science group” proved invaluable for their successful ESA bid.

The Gaia satellite is tasked with monitoring each of its target stars about 70 times over a five-year period precisely charting their position and monitoring their movements and changes in brightness. It is expected to discover hundreds of thousands of new celestial objects and provide vital data to generate a three-dimensional map of the Milky Way galaxy. Parameter Space

will be dealing in vast quantities of data; Gaia’s database will eventually grow to 1 Petabyte in size. In layman’s terms, this amounts to about 200,000 DVDs worth of data.

The announcement has been hailed

by Dr Bryan Rodgers of Enterprise Ireland, which manages Ireland’s membership of ESA, who claimed the development “clearly demonstrates how Ireland’s participation in ESA space science research programmes can lead to job creation, with opportunities for highly-qualified graduates.” This sentiment is shared by Daniel Vagg, a graduate of UCD’s new Masters in Space Science and Technology, and Parameter Space’s first employee, who believes the move will inspire young students to pursue careers in this industry “right here in Ireland.”

Dream, will look at the exploration of Shakespeare in the contemporary world. This discussion will take place on Wednesday, 18th March at the Abbey Theatre at 6pm. It is free for all to attend, but tickets for it must be pre-booked online on the website for the Abbey Theatre at www.abbeytheatre.ie.

between the Smurfit School, the National College of Art and Design (NCAD), and NovaUCD. The two-year part-time Msc in Innovation, Entrepreneurship and Design targets experienced science, technology and engineering and maths graduates, and is set to commence in September 2015.

The programme will promote advanced lines of business within firms by combining practicality with the coursework elements of a traditional masters. Professor Ciarán Ó hÓgartaigh, Dean of UCD Business, stated that the partnership of the institutes will create opportunities to Stem and other graduates by blending “creative

Smurfit School of Business Launches New Master’s Graduate Programme the sMurfit School of Business is set to launch a new course aimed at Stem graduates. The programme is the result of an ongoing collaboration

and technical aspects of business.”

Brendan Cremen, director of enterprise and commercialisation at NovaUCD has expressed excitement for the partnership of the prominent institutes which he believes will bring “innovation, entrepreneurship and design together.”

According to Professor Declan McGonagle, NCAD director, both NCAD and the UCD Smurfit School of Business are focusing on meeting the challenge of developing a new “ecology” in a “period of resetting of expectations and provision in education,” which he believes is equally as important as developing a new economy.

80% of UK Universities Have Restrictions on Free Speech

RESEARCH by online magazine Spiked has revealed that through their policies and actions, 80% of UK universities have restricted free speech on their campuses. The research classified universities by availing of a traffic light system- those that were seen to censor frequently were classed as “red,” while those who do not employ censorship fall into the “green” category.

A wide variety of policies and actions were examined as part of the study, the inclusion of some of which has proved controversial. In the event that a speaker or song is banned, that will attract a “red” grade, while unusually, a university equity policy that has zero-tolerance for homophobia, sexism and racism, will attract the same red rating.

Essex University is one such institution concerned by these criteria, given that it achieved a green rating on the grounds of freedom of speech, and says it is “absurd” that they be given a red grade for “for providing guidance to our community about avoiding homophobic behaviour.” The research did account for some nuance however- the University of the West of England (UWE) Students’ Union vote in favour of sanctions on Israel was given an amber rating, as the “motion does not explicitly link to a censorship of speech.”

Taiwan to Indict Student Leaders

the students who played a role in leading the three week occupation of Taiwan’s parliament during March of last year have been indicted by the Taipei District Prosecutor’s Office, along with over a hundred other individuals.

Officials have not yet decided on what punishment they will pursue, though they have not discounted the possibility of jailing the leaders.

The protests were nicknamed the Sunflower Movement, and were held in opposition to the ruling National Party’s attempt to enact a trade deal that would have allowed Chinese and Taiwanese service providers, such as banks and telecommunication firms, to operate in each other’s territories.

The move was opposed on the basis that it would lead to job losses, and that it would also pose a threat to Taiwan’s democracy and autonomy.

Student leader Lin Fei-fan, and the legal scholar K.C. Huang are among the 22 people named in the lawsuit.

Lin has yet to make a statement, but Huang posted on his Facebook page that he would “calmly and bravely face and bear the consequences,” but firmly states that what he is being accused of is “not a crime.”

Harvard Bans Relationships between Students and Professors

harvard University has implemented an official ban on romantic relationships and sex between students and professors.

In addition to that, relationships between undergraduates and faculty members have been prohibited, as well as relationships between between any undergraduate student, and any more senior member of the university, including graduate students, who may have to supervise or grade that student at any point.

A spokesperson for Harvard stated that a review had “determined that the existing language on relationships of unequal status did not explicitly reflect the faculty’s expectations of what constituted an appropriate relationship between undergraduate students and faculty members,” and that the policy was amended to clarify this.

The actions follow those of Yale, the University of Connecticut and Arizona State University, all of which have implemented similar policies in recent years and months.

Alison Johnson, the professor who chairs the committee on sexual misconduct, reported that the decision had been reasonable well received, stating that “undergraduates come to college to learn from us,” and that “we’re not here to have sexual or romantic relationships with them.”

However, not all universities are as strict as Harvard on this topic- others such as the University of Carolina state that the “best time to date your professor, if at all, is after you have graduated from school,” and do not impose any rules against such conduct.

Comment

All Fear BDSM

With whips and hot wax on everybody’s mind thanks to ‘50 Shades of Grey’ and Valentine’s Day, Saul Fidgeon tries to dispel the fear and confusion surrounding BDSM BDSM is a blanket term for ‘bondage and discipline’, ‘dominance and submission’, and ‘sadism and masochism’. It covers a variety of sexual fetishes and practices that are outside of the mainstream. In recent years BDSM has been thrown into the public spotlight for all the wrong reasons.

It is the S&M element in particular that has received attention, in both news and entertainment and it’s relation to the broader term has caused undeserved backlash for the whole BDSM community.

Many of you learned what you know about BDSM from Fifty Shades of Grey by E.L. James. The text follows the dominant-submissive relationship between characters Ana Steele and Christian Grey. They’ve been a cultural phenomenon, and tickets for the much awaited film adaptation sold out in many Irish cinemas on pre-bookings alone. The first novel sparked controversy upon its release in 2011 for its depictions of BDSM. Some believed Ana’s position as a submissive was hurtful to gender equality and the feminist movement, while others saw it as the herald of an age where women could express their own sexual fantasies. An area of criticism that less people know about came from those within the BDSM community, such as dominatrices, who argued that the books put too much emphasis on pain and punishment.

Many psychologists have argued that Ana and Christian hit all the marks of an abusive relationship, rather than the trust-based relationship of a true dominant and submissive. Unfortunately, it was already a bestselling series by the time these people made their point, and their voices were drowned out by the love-it-or-hate-it fandom of the books. The film adaptation is causing a resurge in popularity for the series, and it seems inevitable that these misunderstandings will take root in people‘s minds once again.

While E.L. James’ books may have popularised BDSM, and

illustration: cathal gunning

mislead the public into thinking that S&M makes up the majority of the practices involved, they are not responsible for the current unease around the whole topic. Instead this comes from news and current events involving BDSM, most prominently the murder of Elaine O’Hara in 2012, of which Graham Dwyer is reported to be the chief suspect.

Dwyer and O’Hara had engaged in a dominant-submissive relationship for some time prior to the victim‘s death, and the Gardaí are sure this sexual relationship is related to the murder.

Texts between the victim and the accused that were revealed in Mr. Dwyer’s trial show that he at least intended to stab Ms. O’Hara to “fulfil his sexual gratification.” Though this evidence is condemning, his BDSM habits alone meant that he was to be judged by many in the public. He is alleged to have met Ms. O’Hara through an online BDSM community,

Fifty Shades of Grey hits all the marks of an abusive relationship, rather than the trust-based relationship of a true dominant and submissive

a breeding ground for abuse in the public eye. It’s human nature to fear and hate things that we don’t understand, and it is easy to see how bondage or sexual fetishes centred on pain are things that the general public would not understand. To the common people who gossip about this case Mr. Dwyer’s sexual habits are grounds enough to condemn him as a deviant and a criminal.

This entire case has instilled in the public the fearful notion that bondage can be taken to fatal extremes.

What’s more, it has contributed to the assumption that BDSM is especially attractive to people with psychopathic tendencies, and those suffering from other mental disorders.

E.L. James’ novels also promote this belief, with Christian Grey being introduced to BDSM by a woman who molested him as a teen, an event that would undeniably affect anyone‘s mental development. Not only is this

degrading to the BDSM community, but possibly stunting to anybody who has yet to realise an interest in it, and who will now feel pressured by society into assuming “normal” sexual behaviour. This leads to a dilemma. The unconscious coercion that is doing this damage comes down to our very understanding of what is normal and what is abnormal, and such deep rooted issues are hard to change. Nevertheless, it needs to be understood that dangerous individuals such as Mr. Dwyer, if he is truly guilty, are as abnormal and as unacceptable in the BDSM community as they are in any other.

Considering all of this negative attention, and taking into account an event as terrible as a murder, it is worth noting that Ireland has no specialised laws regarding BDSM practices. The Elaine O’Hara case may be the first criminal case seen in this country in which BDSM has played a major role. Britain, on the

other hand, has faced dilemmas in the past on this subject. The Spanner Case of 1987 brought into question whether or not consent could be used to justify sadomasochistic activity.

If the victim, or submissive, clearly gives consent to bodily harm being done to them does that make the act acceptable, legally speaking?

Apparently not; Lord Templeman refused to “invent a defence of consent for sadomasochistic encounters which breed and glorify cruelty”. This argument is reasonable from a social viewpoint. Some sexual habits, such as paedophilia, are simply unacceptable for society, and those who would receive pleasure in this way must be denied their sexual gratification. This then seems like fair grounds to also outlaw sadism. However, S&M represents an equal partnership of giving and receiving, proof that the BDSM community is capable of regulating itself. Without consent from the submissive, the dominant knows that they can do nothing.

It is worth repeating that although there are occurrences of participants breaking the rules and causing lethal or lasting harm to their partner, as is a possibility in the O’Hara case, these are considered abnormal and dangerous by everyone. Such individuals are no more likely to take violent action against their fellow man during BDSM play than they are during any other activity in their lives. When BDSM activities are properly practised following agreed-upon terms the harm that can be done to one‘s partner is negligible. Practitioners of BDSM activities had no conscious choice in the development of their sexual preferences, the same as everybody else, but they have formed their own rules for safely receiving gratification. They do not deserve to be ridiculed or shown any less respect than we would show each other.

when the press calls With every new story that breaks journalists come knocking on grief-stricken doorsteps, Ray McGrath looks at the depressing reality of these intrusions When you think of the media intruding into people’s private lives and grief, what’s the first image that comes into your mind? Perhaps it’s that of a sordid little tabloid journalist in the UK intercepting voicemail messages from the phone of a dead child. Ok, that’s an extreme example, and one that will hopefully never happen again, but what about the behaviour of the media closer to home? Is the Irish media a paragon of sensitivity when dealing with the recently bereaved?

In the distant past, newspapers would send out whichever unfortunate reporter drew the shortest straw to politely and sensitively request a relatively recent photograph of the victim of a fatal road accident. It was undoubtedly an intrusive act, but at least the family had the right to refuse. At least the journalist had to experience the discomfort of looking a real human being in the eye while intruding upon their darkest moment. Nowadays, thanks to the internet, this little act of courtesy is no longer necessary.

When the death of a young person makes it into a newspaper, it’s almost inevitable that they’ll publish a number of images alongside the story. Below the images, the credit will usually be given to Facebook, Twitter or Instagram. This means that newspapers have actually asked their staff to stalk a dead person’s social media accounts and then steal their photographs. Those pictures might technically be in the public domain, but in what universe could that kind of creepy behaviour possibly be considered morally acceptable?

The intrusion doesn’t end there.

More often than not, the paper will subsequently feature a story about the funeral. They might even allude to the fact that the family appealed for privacy, but this won’t stop them from publishing a few long-lens funeral shots. It doesn’t count as intrusion if the photographer isn’t caught.

Bonus points if someone happens to be wiping away a tear at the time.

When reporting on the details

of a high-profile murder trial, it can be almost impossible for the press to remain entirely sensitive towards the wishes of the victim’s family. In many cases, the jury will hear very intimate and sometimes embarrassing details of the victim’s private life. If those details are aired in an open court, the press has not only a right, but also a duty to report them. You can’t omit important facts altogether on the grounds that they might make for uncomfortable or embarrassing reading, or even because they’ll tarnish people’s memories of the person for whom justice is being sought.

Of course, this shouldn’t give anyone the right to use a personal tragedy for the purpose of selling newspapers. Nevertheless, far too often, highly sensitive details of a murder victim’s private life are delivered in the most sensational manner possible and splashed across the front pages of the tabloids. This might be done under the guise of court reporting, but the commercial motives behind it are obvious: sex sells.

We can’t blame the media alone.

They’re merely serving up what the public want. And sadly, there are a lot of people out there who like nothing more than to be fed a diet of other people’s misery. It seems very unfair when the victim was just a normal person and not some celebrity. They didn’t willfully enter into a world where every facet of their private life would be posthumously pored over and speculated on by ghouls who think they’re watching a real-life soap opera.

It’s not just the tabloids. Even RTÉ News, our most acceptable face of journalistic acceptability, is regularly guilty of gross insensitivity, as they attempt to squeeze as much of a ‘human interest angle’ as they possibly can from tragic incidents. Whenever someone dies in a manner deemed newsworthy, rather than simply reporting on the factual aspects of their death, RTE will always send a reporter

In many cases, the jury will hear very intimate and sometimes embarrassing details of the victim’s private life. If those details are aired in an open court, the press has not only a right, but also a duty to report them

Despite adding nothing worthwhile to our understanding of events, this kind of vacuous journalism has become an indispensable trope of television news production in Ireland

into the community, just to gauge how shocked everybody is: usually very shocked. However, there will never be any shortage of people who aren’t too shocked to tell the whole country just how shocked they are.

A few months ago, a man in County Cork killed his wife, seriously injured his daughter and then took his own life. Nobody could argue against this being the main story on the Six-One News that night. However, the bulk of RTE’s coverage of the tragedy consisted of bewildered locals, including a priest, a nun and a Sinn Fein councillor, all telling a reporter that the whole town was ‘numb with shock’. Considering the very personal and tragic nature of that particular incident, it’s hardly unreasonable to expect that a family’s right to privacy might be considered more important than some local busybody’s urge to insert their own irrelevant feelings into the narrative.

Despite adding nothing worthwhile to our understanding of events, this kind of vacuous journalism has become an indispensible trope of television news production in Ireland.

Footage will invariably begin with shots of crime scene tape around a house, the state pathologist entering a forensic tent, locals huddled together in disbelief, and a child handing flowers to the obligatory stony-faced Garda on duty. Finally, we have the interviews outside mass. Remove all these clichés and RTÉ might have no choice but to devote more time and resources to the pertinent question of whether there might possibly be some kind of link between such tragedies and decades of chronic underfunding in the mental health sector.

The press in Ireland might be more humane and less aggressive than elsewhere, but perhaps it’s time to reevaluate what is and isn’t acceptable when reporting tragedy. Perhaps it’s also time to stop confusing ‘the public interest’ with what the public happens to be morbidly interested in. Being only slightly morally superior to the likes of the News of the World should never be something to boast about.

A member of the media stands on a car to record a football match in ucd photo: james Brady

february 18th 2015

comment

coming out is the latest fashion With many celebrities, even in Ireland, coming out to wide acceptance, Tara Hanneffy asks if coming out is the latest fashion?

2014 and early 2015 have seen many celebrities speak out about their sexuality. These included Sam Smith, Ellen Page, and closer to home, the Rose of Tralee Maria Walsh and the Minister for Health Leo Varadkar.

Sceptics say that it’s the latest fashion now, to ‘come out’; and if that’s the case, then it’s fantastic. Focusing in on those closer to home, Varadkar hit the headlines earlier this year when he revealed to Miriam O’Callaghan (and most of Ireland) that he was ‘a gay man’. He spoke about his sexual orientation, and said that although it had never been a secret, he hadn’t always been comfortable speaking about it. Some said that the announcement is well timed, with the referendum on Marriage Equality approaching. However, Varadkar is adamant that his choosing to come out at this time changes absolutely nothing. He is correct; in fact, it is poor form to imply that Varadkar would use this information as a political tool. He merely felt that in not publicly speaking about his sexual orientation, his comments regarding the Marriage Equality referendum would be too detached.

Setting whatever reasons Varadkar may have had for his coming out at this time aside, his view on how his coming out would affect his political life is admirable. He said that “It’s not something that defines me. I’m not a half-Indian politician, or a doctor politician, or a gay politician for that matter.” Varadkar is correct when he says this, because we now live in a society too advanced for labels.

If (as some are claiming) Varadkar becomes Taoiseach in the future, he will not be ‘a gay Taoiseach’; he’ll be a Taoiseach who happens to be gay. The time for defining people by their sexual orientation is (and should be) well over.

Maria Walsh is another Irish person in the limelight who spoke out about their sexual orientation in 2014. Walsh was crowned Rose of Tralee in 2014, and is nothing short of an inspiration. Aside for being something of a role model for young LGBTQ+ people, Walsh fulfils her

the students of ucd voted in favour of marriage equality in the recent referendum photo: james brady

role as Rose of Tralee with absolute excellence: carrying out charity work and other public functions. In early 2015, she graciously accepted the Foy-Zappone award from UCD’s LGBTQ+ society, and on the occasion she said that she hoped that her being open in the media about her sexuality would help set the ball rolling for people to start talking about LGBTQ+ issues. Like Varadkar, Walsh is adamant that her sexuality does not define her. She has no desire to be known as ‘the gay Rose’. Walsh made a fantastic comment on her position within society as a representative of the gay community. She said she represents the way that “gay people live in society. We just live.” This highlights the importance that society thinks of both Varadkar and Walsh as normal people: because that is exactly what they are, they are no different to anyone else. It is actually incredibly important for our society and Ireland

as a whole that Walsh chose to come out and be openly gay. The Rose of Tralee is almost an Irish tradition at this stage; it is a truly Irish thing.

Walsh being open about her sexuality spreads the message to a wide spectrum of people that it’s ok to talk about LGBTQ+ issues. It’s a positive sign for LGBTQ+ teens and their families, and we can now hope that many now may feel more comfortable about discussing their sexuality.

These two public figures did come out, and what was great about it was that it was fine. There was very little negative noise in the media. In fact, nobody seemed to think it was really a big deal. This is a sign of our progression as a society in relation to equality and acceptance for all people. It can’t be denied that Ireland is moving forward in this respect.

The Marriage Equality referendum will take place this year and now, for the first time in history, we have

We should take it as an extremely positive thing that a Government Minister feels that he can be open about his sexual orientation and that it is openly accepted in our society

an openly gay Minister serving in the Dáil. It is difficult to say whether Varadkar’s decision to come out would have been as well accepted some twenty, or even ten years ago.

We should take it as an extremely positive thing that a Government Minister feels that he can be open about his sexual orientation and that it is openly accepted in our society.

Similarly, it is promising that Walsh’s decision to speak out about her sexual orientation was so well taken by the people of Ireland. It would seem that as a society, we are finally moving forward with regard to our attitudes to other sexual orientations.

If coming out is indeed the latest fashion, then this is a fashion that we definitely want to keep a trend. It’s time to start talking about LGBTQ+ issues openly in our society.

Although it can’t be denied that there has been progression, there is always room for improvement.

We’re doing very well as a society in moving towards being accepting of all members of all communities, but there is more needed. Only recently, a workshop on homophobic bullying in a Dublin school was cancelled due to issues that appear to be related to the Catholic representation within the school. This is only one example to prove why we as a society need to work harder to achieve acceptance and equality for all in our society.

Ireland has come so far, and now it’s time to go farther. Varadkar and Walsh are two people that represent the movement for change and are people whose attitudes we should aspire to. Their coming out should not be seen as a political move or an attempt to win more support respectively, they should be seen as what they are. They are examples of how far we have come as a society, and indeed, if coming out is the latest fashion, then Ireland is bang on trend.

What to do in a Mass Shooting After the Los Angeles Police Department released a graphic PSA video on how to survive a mass shooting, Martin Healy looks at why this is needed and why it is portrayed in a game-like manner Recently the Los Angeles Police Department released a PSA video that detailed what to do in a variety of mass shooting scenarios. It can be found easily on Youtube. The video itself does not shy away from gory details, with plenty of explicit blood spray and gun shots not unlike a low budget action film. This video raises a variety of questions, the foremost being why is such a video needed in the first place?

The video deals with a crime that occurs disturbingly too often in the US. The video itself cites how, on average, 20 mass shootings take place in the US every year.

This is clearly a serious issue, especially with the FBI definition of a mass murder being “the killing of four or more people without an extended period of cooling-off.”

While memories of the Aurora massacre and the Virginia Tech shootings stay in our minds, mass shootings are not an entirely American issue. The recent Charlie Hebdo massacre in France is an example to prove this. Regardless, the horrific phenomenon is all too common in the United States. The fact that an instructional video actually has to be made highlights how often these massacres occur.

Often the recurrence of mass shootings in USA is blamed on lax gun ownership laws, and it is easy to see why. If someone in Ireland, for whatever reason, wished to undertake such an atrocity, it would be difficult for them to acquire a gun in the first place. When Seung-Hui Cho killed 32 people in the 2007 Virginia Tech massacre, he was able to purchase firearms despite receiving mental health treatment for his long-standing depression.

Gun ownership is an incredibly hot button issue in the United States. When ideas of introducing new gun ownership laws are put 6 february 18th 2015

forward by the Obama administration, the backlash is almost instant. A proposed gun control measure in 2013, in the wake of the Newtown massacre, was rejected by the US Congress. Preventing mass shootings via federal law does not appear to be an option.

Looking at the actual content of the video, one immediately notices how it resembles a kind of video game. In the first section of the video, as the killer points his gun around a food court, a man is seen attempting to shield a woman under a table. In front of his eyes appear a number of floating options like “CONCEALMENT” and “COVER”; a concept that would not go amiss in a Telltale Games’ adventure title.

The LAPD seem to be resorting to “game-ifying” such incidents. The commonality of such events means they can be trivialised. What does this say about the target audience?

In a society where so many activities take on a game-like structure (the quest to acquire Facebook likes, earning virtual medals for jogging every day and so on) it appears law enforcement see this as a way of trying to get the public’s attention.

Nonetheless, the use of a video game structure is interesting for another reason. Video games have been often cited as to blame during massacres like the ones mentioned above. To make the video like a game may be a way to attract the attention of those who may be excited by gun shots and do not recognise their harmful reality. It is however interesting, that they would use a style that some think encourages shooting to do almost the opposite.

In making the video in this manner the LAPD are trivialising a very serious issue. The blaring gun shots and explicit blood splatter could be triggering to anyone who had ever been involved in any sort of

image: a still from the video released by the lapd

The fact that an instructional video actually has to be made highlights how often these massacres occur

shooting. The video seeks both to shock and to entertain its audience.

While the terrifying gun shots may get our attention and highlight that this a serious issue, the game-like structure only makes us jeer at what is a serious message. With all these features the audience are so caught up in the gunshots, choice of actors and game-like messages that they’ve forgotten what the video was actually trying to teach us.

Other aspects of the video are interesting too. Both the shooters in this are white males. It also a white man who leads a woman and others to safety in the first part of the video. The woman seems to have little idea of how to escape and must be led on and shielded by the man

to escape. It’s giving the impression that the LAPD do not have faith in the women of their community but are asking the men to save them.

Men are both the heroes and villains of this video. As in most literature, men do the acting, women are inspiration and need to be saved.

The fact that all three men are white speaks for itself to some extent.

If the shooter was of a Middle-Eastern origin for example, it would become a terrorist situation. The LAPD seem to be making a divide between the two. It appears that as long as the shooter isn’t foreign, the LAPD have control over the situation, away from counter terrorist organisations.

Once the shooter isn’t white, the headline goes from “masked man

kills eight” to “Muslim extremist murders eight.” If neither shooter were white it would seem as if the LAPD were blaming other races for mass murders in the US. Also the first black person to appear in the video is a woman whose job it seems to be to save the recently shot white woman. It seems the role of the “help” has not left American culture.

The idea of having a PSA on what to do during a mass shooting seems ridiculous on paper, but the crime is all too common for it to be ignored.

The structure of the video dispels little of how the crime is portrayed in American and worldwide media. With the catalysts for these murders lying deep in American society, the main one being the ease of gun ownership, a short video will solve very little.

Comment Head to head: is there a class divide in ucd? pro

con

With grants being cut and registration fees increasing Robert Dunne argues that the class gap is a real problem in UCD

With innumerous costs making it difficult for the working class to get “free” education, Sean Hayes argues that there is no class divide in UCD, because we’re all in the same one

At the moment our country is strangled by austerity and financial mismanagement. Most students have no interest in politics and couldn’t care less about those suffering.

Why? Most UCD students are too comfortable. It doesn’t affect them.

While LGBTQ+ and gender issues gain traction, class concerns barely register on the radar of the student populous. It is a concern often relegated to unpopular hard-left socialist groups. Many of these groups are content to postulate over how radical they can be as opposed to what alternatives they have to offer in order to make people’s lives better. Less than 10% of secondary schools in Ireland are private schools. Yet students who went to private schools make up more than 20% of the student population in UCD. It’s no coincidence that those who enter courses with high points come from wealthy families. A system such as this undoubtedly favours the wealthy and those who are capable of conforming to a strict set of standards.

When it was reported in the media, early last year, that certain postcodes had a much lower rate of college attendance compared to others many were not surprised. It is a sad reality that UCD exemplifies the class divide which exists in our society. When one looks at the concerns of our student body they focus on a very limited number of social justices. This is not to say that matters relating to LGBTQ+ and gender issues are not important. It is just important to note that social justice issues which affect the wealthy and middle classes receive attention in a way that issues affecting students on the lower end of the class spectrum do not.

When the current Government increased registration fees there was a mass protest. Protests against the introduction of fees have subsided.

This campaign attracted attention in the beginning because it could conceivably push students from poorer socio-economic backgrounds out of third level education. It would be hard to recall a campaign which attracted a comparable level of student outrage, but there’s a reason why many campaigns affecting students do not energise the entire student population.

The age old expression, “the cream will always rise to the top”, presumptuously implies that someone who is particularly talented or skilled will eventually distinguish themselves from the crowd and rise to recognition and acknowledgment.

It is very easy, however, to forget that cream is rich. Cream is an expensive product and the result of a refined, separating process.

There is no extreme class division in Irish universities or, indeed, in UCD. Yet this is not because of any idealised society of equal opportunities, nor is it a result of free university education to all.

The lack of class division in Irish universities is simply because there is only one class afforded entrance to higher education institutes; an affluent and powerful middle class.

The reason that a class divide does not exist in university is due to a much larger, overarching social divide in our society. Inequality begins long before students walk through the gates of their respective campuses. Irish secondary schools suffer from major class divisions.

Private schools pride themselves on their top quality education and highly qualified academic staff. Similarly, private grinds and tutors mean that students from affluent backgrounds perform better at school and achieve higher results. These results push leaving cert points upwards to a height where even students of equal ability, but of working class background, struggle and are at a distinct disadvantage. This is because they and their family’s have not been able to afford the same resources.

This idea has been demonstrated, and proven, in an ESRI School Leavers’ Survey, where it was found that children of higher professionals were more than 3.5 times more likely to achieve at least four or more C grades on Higher Level Leaving Certificate papers than the children of the unemployed. There is an even greater disparity noticed when it was found that just 60% of boys and 61% of girls from households where the parents are unemployed even sit the Leaving Certificate compared to almost 90% of those with professional parents or parents who were employers/managers.

Parents and family backgrounds seem to play a fundamental role

without much student outrage comparable to that of the protests When it was that took place between 2011 and reported in the 2012. The reason for this is that these students are in a minority, just like media, early last students from socially disadvantaged year, that certain backgrounds. Student groups who postcodes had are minorities often struggle to make a much lower their voices heard. Some may view rate of college the increase of fees as an unfortunate attendance task that needed to be undertaken.

Nevertheless, one could still defend compared to extending the grants so that those who others many were would bear the brunt of the increase not surprised. in fees would be the wealthier It is a sad students. However, no such campaign reality that UCD exists. Some students struggle to attend UCD while also handling exemplifies the accommodation and utilities. Some class divide which UCD students even risk being exists in our forced to drop out of college as society they can’t afford their university education. This is mostly due to government cuts to education grants.

While it would be completely unfair to say that the UCDSU did nothing, the majority of the student population did not take part in massive Government demonstrations in order to fight for better living standards. The reason for this is because most UCD Students occupy a position of privilege that they don’t even realise. Issues that affect those from backgrounds lacking in wealth A few years ago SUSI was set and resources just aren’t popular in up to handle grants. This resulted UCD. The university may focus a in students being locked out of the lot on equality but equality between library as well as some families the classes just isn’t considered having to receive support from the because it doesn’t affect as many Saint Vincent De Paul because students as say gender inequalities. of Government mismanagement.

Most people reading this article While there was an on campus will resent being told that they protest outside the library and the occupy a position of privilege.

Tierney building, the protest was not However, most people reading this in anyway comparable to previous article have no comprehension of protests against student fees. There what life is like for some of our are many issues which affect the most socially disadvantaged. UCD less wealthy that the SU does not is a fantastic institution but it forcefully campaign for. The price of exemplifies a class divide that exists food on campus has increased greatly in our society. The class divide in throughout the last few years. In UCD is extremely harmful. If there addition to this the price of rent and wasn’t a class divide, UCD would accommodation has increased greatly. have a far more energised student It is true that the SU cannot be held body that would be campaigning responsible for the ever-increasing on a range of social justice issues price of property. However, the SU affecting the most vulnerable in our lacks a highly visible campaign society. However, the fact that this for affordable accommodation. is simply not the case demonstrates Grants have been cut to that there is a class divide. postgraduate students and mature students within the last few years,

in their children’s route to higher education. According to the Higher Education Authority, an astonishingly low rate of just 2.5% of first year students at university came from unskilled family backgrounds, while the children of professionals are 10 times more likely to go university, accounting for just under a quarter of first year students.

This leaves little doubt that there is no class divide in universities, simply because the vast majority of students belong to one, large class.

Yet it is not just family backgrounds and previous education keeping working class students out of university. When university tuition fees were abolished in Ireland in 1996, the decision was praised as a great move towards equality for education and lauded for allowing students from lower income backgrounds the chance of a university education. The policy was outlined in a government White Paper in which it was claimed that, “these decisions are a major step forward in the promotion of equality.

They remove important financial and psychological barriers to participation of third level.” Despite this there still remains many fees and hidden costs unaccounted for, which impede a student’s opportunity for an university education. This is most obviously seen in the increasingly high accommodation costs in many cities around the country. Rent and other residential service costs are an expense which students from rural backgrounds have little choice but to pay. Course textbooks and learning materials are another highly expensive resource which students from higher earning families have far more access to. The idea, also, that if a student fails an exam, they can simply pay to resit it with a resit paper highly similar to the exam paper already given, gives the impression that one can essentially buy their way through their university degree. This is a safety net, provided by the university, which, indeed, could only be open to a student from a middle class background.

Yet one must ask the question whether or not Irish universities are better off with just one social class coming through its doors. Our education system works well. Irish graduates are consistently ranked as

rebuttal

rebuttal

Sean Hayes examines Robert Dunne’s primary arguments

Robert Dunne looks at Sean Hayes’ main points

The quote in the Pro argument, “most UCD students occupy a position of privilege that they don’t even realise” actually quite effectively summarises the argument that there is no class divide in UCD. This is simply because an overwhelming majority of the student population belongs to the middle class. Furthermore, the idea

It is a bit over-simplistic to say that all students belong to one class. It is true that inequality begins long before one even has the chance to reach third level. However, let’s not forget that there are a lot of students in UCD who come from socially disadvantaged backgrounds.

Many of these students enter

that a campaign would be set up so that “those who would bear the brunt of the increase in fess would be the wealthier students”, goes completely against against the ethos of the SU, which, as stated by the Pro side, focuses so much on equality.

UCD through the HEAR scheme which proves that social mobility does exist in our society.

While UCD is very much an institution of the middle class, signs of the class divide are reflected in student life. Those students from socially disadvantaged backgrounds do exist, but they make up a

Course textbooks and learning materials are another highly expensive resource which students from higher earning families have far more access to

some of the most skilled and highly qualified graduates in Europe and throughout the world. Indeed, Ireland ranked 18th in the rankings of the World’s top higher education systems.

Our education system is held in high regard and esteem throughout the world and our graduates continue to rival and compete effectively against graduates of many other countries.

Furthermore, 80% of our graduates do not expect to graduate in any kind of debt. This is certainly an advantage as they begin to carve out a career for themselves. What use is it for a graduate, from a working class background, to be hindered by debts and repayments? Their ability to compete on a global scale is hindered by the simple fact that they are delayed in progressing in their careers because of fees and repayments which they still owe.

University exposes you to people from innumerous contexts, with different cultures, beliefs and traditions. Yet it is also important to remember that, as the evidence has confirmed, the wide majority of these students come from a middle class background. This has its advantages too, insofar as these students share goals and ambitions of a similar scope. This kind of environment is beneficial to a university student and, in turn, they are influenced in their own studies by these mindsets.

There is no class divide in Irish universities and, despite this being the result of a far more dominant social divide across our society, this lack of division has benefitted our universities, producing top-class, competitive and capable young graduates.

minority of students. In order to prevent an ever-growing class divide we must acknowledge this. It is dangerous to make the assumption that the class divide does not exist as it will encourage cuts to third level grants and supports.

february 18th 2015

Gaeilge Valerie Ní Thiarnaigh Eagarthóir Gaeilge

Traidisiún seanbhunaithe é Seachtain na Gaeilge i measc Gaeilgeoirí na hÉireann. Thosaigh sé mar reáchtáil ag Conradh na Gaeilge i 1903 agus fós in áit sa lá atá inniu.

Faoi láthair, tá Seachtain na Gaeilge urraithe ag Foras na Gaeilge agus bíonn sé ar siúl ag tús mhí an Mhárta gach bliain, ag críochnú suas díreach roimh Lá Fhéile Pádraig. Maireann sé dhá sheachtain, agus bíonn seisiúin cheoil, céilithe agus scóráil sciobtha, chomh maith le himeachtaí eile ar siúl, i measc daoine eile, agus bíonn tuairim is 150,000 daoine le leibhéil éagsúla líofachta rannpháirteach ar fud na tíre.

Is é sin an tóir a bhí ar Sheachtain na Gaeilge go bhfuil imeachtaí den chineál céanna ag tarlú i scoileanna agus in ollscoileanna ar fud na tíre.

Is imeacht é ceann den sórt sin UCD Seachtain na Gaeilge, a bhí ar siúl ar an gcampas an tseachtain seo caite, ar a mbeidh imeachtaí idir Rós UCD, díospóireacht leis an L&H agus “Countdown” as Gaeilge.

Ach, sna blianta fada atá sé ar siúl, an bhfuil Seachtain na Gaeilge oiriúnach don fheidhm ? An bhfuil sé a mhealladh an oiread daoine agus is ba chóir dó?

De réir tuairiscí, ní raibh an méid céanna daoine ag roinnt de na himeachtaí mar a bheadh duine ag súil - an ócáid My First Gaeilge mar shampla. De réir an leathanach Facebook, ní raibh ach aon duine dhéag chun freastail ar an ócáid, agus labhair mé le beirt a bhí páirteach i Rós UCD de bharr cheist a bheith curaithe orthu ag an nóiméad deireanach. Chomh maith leis sin, an díospóireacht idir an Cumann Gaelach agus an L&H- ócáid neamhghnách a bhí I gceist, le ceathrar i bhfabhar an rún agus triúr i gcoinne é- ní hé sin an cineál díospóireacht chothrom a bheadh duine ag súil le, ó dhá chumann le clú agus cáil ar a gcultúr loighic agus reitric.

Cén fáth go bhfuil na fadhbanna

Seachtain na Gaeilge

Agus Seachtain na Gaeilge UCD críochnaithe le haghaidh bliain eile, féachann Valerie Ní Thiarnaigh ar na himeachtaí a bhí ar siúl, agus an bhfuil Seachtain na Gaeilge oiriúnach don fheidhm

grianghraf: James Brady seo ag tarlú, go háirithe nuair atá tacaíocht ag Seachtain na Gaeilge ó dhaoine I UCD, agus in eagraíochtaí eile, cosúil le Conradh na Gaeilge?

Thug cuardach google tapaigh cúis dom. Le trí bliana anuas, tá Seachtain na Gaeilge UCD beagnach mar an gcéanna, ó thaobh ábhair de. Bíonn Rós UCD i gcónaí ar an Luan, Aifreann agus Gaelgáirí ar an Máirt, agus cluiche peile le Cumann Gaelach TCD ar an Aoine. Bíonn Countdown agus My First Gaeilge ar

Le trí bliana anuas, tá Seachtain na Gaeilge UCD beagnach mar an gcéanna, ó thaobh ábhair de

siúl beagnach gach bliain freisin.

Le gníomhaíochtaí athchleachtach mar sin, ní haon iontas é go bhfuil Seachtain na Gaeilge ag streachailt slua a tharraingt. Tá na himeachtaí traidisiúnta deas, ach is gá imeachtaí a dhéanamh núíosacha chun raon leathan daoine a tharraingt isteach.

Chomh maith le sin, caithfidh difríochtaí bheith ann chun an slua a bhí láthair an bhliain roimh ré a mhealladh. Tá níos lú seans go

Na fachtóir uathúil a bhaineann le comhionannas pósadh in Éirinn, ár bpobail, agus ár n-ollscoil Tar éis reifreann UCD, féachann Síofra Ní Shluaghadháin ar na fachtóir uathúil a bhaineann le comhionannas pósadh so tír seo I measc na mórcheisteanna atá i mbéal an phobail le déanaí – táillí uisce, oideachas, sláinte srl. – tá mórcheist amháin atá mar chúis díospóireachta (agus, i measc daoine áirithe, cúis imní) sna meáin agus i measc daoine go ginearálta. Is é sin nó an reifreann faoi chomhionannas pósadh, a bheidh ag tarlú i Mí Bhealtaine i mbliana, dála an scéala.

Tá an oiread sin ráite go dtí seo faoi ábhar an reifreann, i bhfabhar agus i gcoinne, nach féidir an díospóireacht sin a chomhdlúthú ar bhealach cothrom agus urramach.

Ach, fiú le sin ráite, tá fachtóirí eile atá a cur chun cinn le linn feachtas an reifreann seo atá, i mo thuairimse, chomh tábhachtach.

Is é ceann de na fachtóirí ábhartha do thoradh an reifreann seo nó rannpháirtíocht agus gníomhaíocht polaitiúil, go háirithe i measc na hóige. Tá athruithe tagtha ar an tsochaí agus an tír ina bhfuil muid inár gcónaí le linn scór bliain anuas. Inniu, tá colscaradh agus an homaighnéasacht anois dleathach, agus, píosa ar phíosa, tá tionchar an Eaglais Chaitliceach ag dul in éag i saol laethúil na daoine (ach, mar a thaispeántar arís agus arís eile, is faide an slí é le dul ar an ábhar sin). Cuireann an reifreann sin ceist eile roimh vótóirí an tír seo, ceist pholaitiúil, agus b’fhéidir ceist sochaíocha os comhair toghthóirí.

Ach, an bhfuil athrú ag teacht ar na toghthóirí sin? Má bhíonn éifeacht ag iarrachtaí eagraíochtaí áirithe (Aontas na Mic Léinn san Ollscoil seo san áireamh), tá gach aon seans go mbeidh. Ó mhí Meán Fómhair, tá níos mó ná 20,000 mic léinn cláraithe le vótáil (dár le figiúirí ó Aontas na Mac Léinn in Éirinn nó an USI). Ciallaíonn sé seo go bhfuil 20,000 daoine óga nuachláraithe, nár chaith vóta in aon reifreann go dtí seo. An bhfuil athrú ag teacht ar tuairimí mic léinn maidir leis an pholaitíocht, nó an cás speisialta 8 february 18th 2015

mbeidh duine chun freastal ar Rós UCD bliain i ndiaidh bliana, mar is dócha go mbeidh sé beagnach mar an gcéanna gach uair.

Mar thoradh ar sin, b’fhéidir go bhfuil sé in am amchlár Seachtain na Gaeilge UCD a athrú- tar éis an tsaoil, tá sé ina bhformáid ginearálta atá ann le blianta fada anuas.

Bunreacht Nua Aontas na Mic Léinnrud maith, nó cur amú ama?

Caitheann Valerie Ní Thiarnaigh súil ar mór phointí bunreacht nua Aontas na Mic Léinn

grianghraf: James Brady

é an comhionannas pósadh do dhaoine óga? Cén éifeacht a mbeidh aige seo ar thoradh an reifreann?

Is deacair na himpleachtaí a thomhais, ar ndóigh, ach tá súil ag eagraíochtaí atá ar son comhionannas pósadh (ar nós “Yes Equality”) go mbeidh na votoirí nua seo ina fhórsa láidir i mí Bhealtaine. Ach, ní hé an uimhir sin de 20,000 an t-aon staitistic atá tábhachtach agus muid ag amharc ar an gcás seo. Agus muid ag vótáil, tá cruthúnas uafásach ag daoine óga na hÉireann. Cinnte, níl clú ná cáil ar daoine óga (ná daoine go ginearálta) in Éirinn le linn na blianta beaga anuas as ucht ár rannpháirtíocht sa pholaitíocht.

Dár le staidéar a rinneadh tríd an Aontas Eorpach cúpla bliain ó shin, tá seans níos lú go gcaithfear vóta ag duine faoi aois 25 vóta in Éirinn ná in aon tír eile san AE. Is deacracht é chomh maith go bhfuil líon áirithe de dhaoine óga in Éirinn nach bhfuil ina cónaí san áit ina bhfuil siad cláraithe. Blianta ó shin, socraíodh busanna ag dul chuig áit dúchais daoine le haghaidh dóibh siúd a bhí ar an ollscoil i bhfad ó bhaile (eagraithe ar ndóigh ag na heagraíochtaí polaitiúla a bhí ar lorg vótaí an óige). Cé nach bhfuil mórán de sheans go dtarlóidh sé seo faoi choinne an reifreann, tá roinnt eagraíochtaí ag tabhairt faoi

Tá roinnt athruithe tar éis teacht ar bhunreacht Aontas na Mic Léinn COBÁC, ó vótáil ar líne, go post nua. Ach, an bhfuil úsáid ag baint leis na hathruithe?

Tar éis roinnt blianta, tá an post d’Fheachtais agus Cumarsáid ag filleadh. Beidh roinnt dualgais ag an duine seo- in éineacht le hUachtarán Aontas na Mac Léinn beidh siad mar aghaidh phoiblí don Aontas, agus chun roinnt den bhrú atá ar na n-oifigeach oideachas agus leas- mar shampla na dtoghchán le haghaidh grianghraf: RUTH MURPHY ionadaí ranga. Chomh maith le sin, beidh ar an Oifigeach Feachtais agus fheachtas chun dáta an reifreann a Cumarsáid feachtais náisiúnta a shocrú do mhí Aibreán, ionas nach eagrú- ról atá fíor thábhachtach, mar dtiocfaidh sé i lár na scrúdaithe. níl COBÁC bainte le USI a thuilleadh.

Diomaite de sin tá Aontas na Cé nach bhfuilimid bainte le USI, Mac Léinn i roinnt coláistí agus tá sé fós tábhachtach feachtais a ollscoileanna (UCD ina measc) ag dhéanamh ar topaicí atá bainte le iarraidh ar na hÚdaráis acadúla mic léinn- cosúil le comhionannais scrúdaithe a bhogadh i mbliana, pósadh, ginmhilleadh, agus bheith in ionas gur féidir le daoine óga aghaidh táillí tríú leibhéal. Agus duine filleadh abhaile chun vótáil. Freisin, tiomanta chun bheith bainteach leis is féidir fós clárú do vóta postála, na rudaí sin, is cosúil go mbeidh sé go má tá tú ag freastal ar oideachas maith don ollscoil, agus na mic léinn. tríú leibhéal lánaimseartha.

Chun an t-airgead bheith ar fáil Is é an rud is tábhachtaí, is cuma chun íoc as oifigeach Feachtais agus cén tslí atá daoine chun vótáil, go Cumarsáid, ní bheidh oifigeach na gcloisfear gach guth, agus gach vóta, nuair a théann muid ag vótáil. gcoláistí ag fáil pá a thuilleadh. Is dócha gur rud maith é seo, agus

beidh na n-oifigeach díograiseach faoina post. Ach, bíonn go leor obair ag baint leis an bpost sin, agus tá súil agam nach n-éiríonn daoine tuirseach den obair leath shlí tríd an bhliain, gan pá chun cosc a chuir a súim a chailleadh.

Chomh maith le sin, is féidir an t-aontas úsáid a bhaint as vótáil ar líne ón am seo. Beidh sé seo fíor maith, chun guth a thabhairt do gach duine atá ina bhall den Aontas, cé go mbíonn sé deacair teacht chuig an champais chun vóta a chaitheamh, sa chás go mbíonn tú tinn, nó ar Erasmus. Le seo, b’fhéidir go gcloisfidh níos mó daoine ná an córam beag atá páirteach i bpolaitíocht an tAontas faoin am seo.

Ar deireadh, tá leasuithe ar struchtúr an fhóraim siamsaíochta- an ceann is tábhachtaí díobh, is dóigh liom go bhfuil, beidh Oifigeach a mbeidh bainte le heachtraí le haghaidh mic léinn na céad bliana.

Is rud maith é na bpost seo, cé go bhfuil dúshlán speisialta ag baint le bheith sa chéad bhliain.

Tríd is tríd, is dócha go mbeidh an bunreacht nua go maith le haigh mic léinn COBÁC- ach is maith an scéalaí an aimsir.

The Magdalene Quandary

features

Siobhán Carr looks at the redress scheme offered to victims of abuse at state-sponsored facilities during the 20th Century The Magdalene Laundries have been an issue that has created much controversy over the past number of years. Originally set up as asylums for Protestant women in Dublin in 1765, from 1809 onwards they gradually became long-term institutions for women who had ‘sinned’ or were suspected of sin. An estimated 10,000 women were kept at the laundries and forced to do strenuous manual labour without pay in Ireland between 1922 and 1996.

According to Violet Feng’s report for CBS in 2003, a total of 133 unnamed women were found buried at one of the orders in Dublin just five years previously. According to this source, the women were treated like prisoners.

They were taken in for numerous different reasons but sexuality was the Catholic Church’s major concern.

Issues such as sexual activity outside of marriage were severely frowned upon and often resulted in the turning in of a girl to the nuns in an attempt to save her soul. If a woman became pregnant outside of marriage her child was usually taken off her and placed in an orphanage. But still, in spite of all the hardship these women went through, why is it that so little has been done on their behalf?

Two women who were taken into the Magdalene Laundries, Mary Norris and Josephine McCarthy, came forward with their experiences of life inside the institute to CBS. They were taken into the Good Shepherd Convent in Cork and found life to be both physically and emotionally draining. They said that they were supplied with new identities so they could leave their sinful pasts behind them. Norris is recorded as saying, “When I went in there, my dignity, who I was, my name, everything was taken. I was a nonentity, nothing, nobody.” Taking this into account, it became much harder for family members to track down their relatives in these convents as they were no longer referred to by their former names. They were given daily tasks of prayer and

chores. Their chores were referred to as “Magdalenes”, or “penitents”, and they would be forced to scrub the laundry until their hands were raw to aid them in washing away their sins.

Former UCD student Maeve O’Rourke has been a key figure involved in seeking justice for the women of the Magdalene Laundries and is an Advisory Committee Member for the Justice for Magdalenes Association. “I decided when I was in Harvard doing my Masters and there were a few reasons why. I was looking into the fact that the Magdalene Laundries hadn’t been included in the Ryan Report or in compensation procedures... And I went to [Prof] Catherine McKinnon’s office and said “I’m concerned, there was this terrible abuse of women and it still hasn’t been investigated”.

And she just said, “well what are you going to do about it?” O’Rourke went on to write the legal submission to the Irish Human Rights Committee on behalf of Justice for Magdalenes as her Master’s thesis.

On 19 February 2013 the Taoiseach Enda Kenny made a public formal apology in response to the abuses in the Magdalene Laundries. He described it as “a national shame, for which I say again I am deeply sorry and offer my full and heartfelt apologies.” Having organised to meet with some of the women who had been mistreated in these institutes, he declared that in response an Irish government fund would be supplied to those who have lived in these laundries. In addition, the Irish government were to request that Judge John Quirke, the Law Reform Commission’s president, investigate the issue further by the means of a three-month review in how best to distribute their funds towards the past residents.

Although this apology and the promises that were made brought hope at the time, the Irish government have since been accused of not having met with the demands they previously vowed to undertake.

I went to [Prof] Catherine McKinnon’s office and said “I’m concerned, there was this terrible abuse of women and it still hasn’t been investigated”.

And she just said, “well what are you going to do about it?”

maeve o’rourke addresses members of the european parliament in brussels photo: mark moloney via flickr

In 2013 Judge Quirke guaranteed O’Rourke highlights further broken that the women who lived at the promises by the Irish government. laundries would receive the same “There’s still no dedicated unit that benefits as those who possessed Judge Quirke recommended for the HAA card (otherwise known as them [the Magdalene survivors] to the Health Amendment Act 1996 provide advocates. There’s still no Card). This would have supplied legislation for women who lack the the women with full health benefits capacity to get their benefits under but no actions were being taken to the scheme. Their pensions under address why they were not receiving the scheme weren’t backdated to all the benefits that they were entitled the date that they turned 65, so to. Under the HAA card, users are there’s a woman now who’s 95 who entitled to free counselling services, still didn’t get her contributory state but the victims of the Magdalene pension going back all those years.” laundries were deemed not entitled Though it may seem like the to these amenities. According to Magdalene Laundries have been Judge Quirke, 66% of the former left in the past, it was argued as residents still suffer from “serious recently as 30 January 2015 that health issues”. As a result, 500 of still little has been done in aiding the women who were promised extra the women who had already suffered benefits have been left in the dark. from the Magdalene Laundries. Enda

Kenny has once again been urged to make a formal apology for his empty promises. To date, the only added benefits these women have been given are the option of a private GP and that Frances Fitzgerald, the Minister for Justice and Reform, has pushed for physiotherapy and chiropody services to be included in the Magdalene Bill. The only further hope remains with Fitzgerald’s assurance to look into other forms of therapies as well.

O’Rourke says, “We’ve always felt it’s not going to be over til it’s over, and it’s never going to be over really, dealing with this... and so it still continues. There are problems with the restorative justice scheme that Justice Quirke implemented last year. It’s over seventeen months

now since that restorative justice process was announced and the government said publicly that it was going to comply with all of Justice Quirke’s recommendations, but still there’s no legislation providing for the healthcare the women are supposed to be getting.”

According to O’Rourke the unfortunate truth remains that “We have had no guarantees that they will get the enhanced medical card they are supposed to get,” and we do not know how victorious Justice for Magdalenes will be in their attempts to win these victims their entitlements. “It’s little steps that keep you going”, says O’Rourke.

One can only hope that these steps will continue to be made.

Jailbreak 2015 - the race is on The annual Jailbreak competition sees students attempt to get as far from Dublin as possible without spending a cent of their own money. Aaron Poole looks at how it’s done It’s not unusual to see the practice of charity combined with elements of entertainment. For years now events have been organised for charities which result in an entertaining payoff for the contributor, but rarely has it been the case where the contributor’s donation directly impacts just how entertaining the payoff can be. What if an event existed which, if you contributed further, would increase the satisfaction delivered at the end of the event? Enter Jailbreak, Ireland’s largest student run charity event.

Jailbreak operates as a competition; teams, consisting of university students, must race to an international finish line without spending a cent of their own money.

“The competition will see 100 teams of two people race to an international finish line that will be revealed on Saturday 7th March at 9am in Collins Barracks,” says Sarah Kate Daly, UCD’s Jailbreak representative. How does event raise funds for charity?

These teams are backed by the public in a traditional racing model; you donate your money towards the team you want to win, with the funds going directly towards organisations Amnesty International and the Society of St. Vincent de Paul.

Despite the event only existing since 2013, this year it has been decided that Jailbreak’s formula will undergo a significant revision. “It used to be a case of how far away you could get,” says Daly, “but this year it’s how fast you get there, there’s one finish line and you have to race to there.” The new rules also mean that you cannot spend more than two hours on a flight, and if you fly into a country you cannot then fly out of that same country. This “makes sense,” to UCD Jailbreak candidate Rebecca Kelly, “because you could just get one flight to the place and you’d be there, so it makes it a little bit more difficult”. However, the two most

significant changes come with the addition of four obligatory ‘Charity Challenges’ and the decision to let competitors choose a partner from a different university to their own.

Jailbreak HQ have described the charity challenges as ‘short and simple’ tasks to complete during the competition, such as taking a photo of a blindfolded statue to “highlight Amnesty International’s campaign to stop turning a blind eye to torture”.

“It’s actually a brilliant link this year,” says Daly. “It’ll be interesting to see the different challenges in different places and how they’ll work out.”

The interesting decision to let competitors freely choose their partners raises a few questions in terms of intervarsity relations. Prior to this year’s event, the institutions involved were known for their friendly rivalry over social media, which in turn may have lead to an increase in donations due to the competitive nature between them. “I was a little bit surprised at that,” says Kelly on the matter, “but maybe it gives people a chance to do it with someone you’re closer with.” As Daly says “It’s literally to get more students involved,” and that media coverage could potentially increase if the two candidates were from the same area. “That includes more families, more neighbours, more everything, more media coverage and support and money that will come in.”

When it comes to giving to charity, it’s no secret that people tend to avoid donating to typical means of collection; the all too familiar outline of Hanly Centre volunteers on Grafton Street will often instil a sense of panic and discomfort around them.

“It’s kind of a really uncomfortable situation to be put in,” says Kelly.

“You’re being hounded to sort of give money, and you really feel under pressure.” With this in mind, one asks what makes donating towards

artwork completed by a resident at the St. Patrick’s health facility photo: NOELLE COLEMAN

collins barracks, where this year’s race will be starting photo: wikimedia commons

When it comes to giving to charity, it’s no secret that people tend to avoid donating to typical means of collection

a Jailbreak team so appealing?

The costs associated with fuelling some teams’ Jailbreak journeys in recent years have been massive, allowing people to travel as far as Hawaii and Sydney. Surely donating directly to the charity themselves would ultimately be more beneficial?

“That’s very true,” says Daly, “but if you think about it, nowadays a lot of people, when they give money, they want to get something back out of it.” However, the fundraising isn’t limited to the backer’s donations.

“The teams will all have some form of bucket whether it’s a hat, or a brown bag or even a shoe to collect money for SVP and Amnesty. The

whole bucket thing, it’s always there and it always will be there, but this is just another option to raise a good amount of money at one time.”

Daly says that since it’s inception in early 2013, the €54,000+ total raised over these two years has more than justified that Jailbreak is indeed a viable method of fundraising, and that the organisation hopes to break new ground with this year’s revision. “This year we want to raise over €100,000. There will be 9 institutions involved, so we are very confident that we will raise a good amount of money for the charities.”

When asked if she had any plans for fundraising, Kelly stated “We’re

hosting a pub quiz and then a night out after.” As this year’s teams have to raise an initial amount of €300 to compete, the race is on for Kelly and her partner. “We’re planning it for this day two weeks. We only have until the end of this month to get it done, it’s all so quick, it happened so rapidly, you get accepted then in a month or something we’re going.”

Jailbreak 2015 Kicks off on March 7th at Collins Barracks, Dublin.

Keep up to date on twitter @ JailbreakHQ and check out Rebecca’s Jailbreak Campaign at https:// jailbreakhq.org/teams/jailbaes.

february 18th 2015

features Cormac Duffy Editor

Jonathan spollen: missing in india Three years ago Jonathan Spollen, a journalist and UCD graduate, went trekking in Rishikesh, in northern India, but never returned from his travels. In Dublin, there is still a family who are looking for answers

On February 3rd, 2012, He was, for several years, an Jonathan Spollen called his mother assistant foreign editor at Abu from Rishikesh, in Northern India.

Dhabi’s The National and at the He was planning to go trekking time of his disappearance had in the foothills of Rishikesh and just left a role in the Hong Kong neighbouring Lakshman Jhula. office of the International Herald This sort of trekking was nothing Tribune. He wrote on a diverse new to Spollen, who had previously range of topics, analysing the 2009 trekked in Kashmir, Iran and Iranian elections and penning Nepal. Travelling alone on foot reports from Hong Kong’s remote was a chance to travel through rural villages. Some pieces reported villages and meet people on the back from Ireland, including a piece ground, options not available for for The National which looked at those travelling in large groups. the 2008 case of a school in Gorey During the phonecall, Jonathan banning a student from wearing indicated that he would back the hijab. His trekking experiences within a few weeks, as his mother provided the context for many Lynda explains. “Jonathan said of his articles, including a 2010 he’d be back in two or three weeks, piece for The National on his time which usually meant two and a in Kashmir. He wrote about the half weeks. He’d try and get a people he met, the local culture few brownie points for himself by and attitudes, and where he himself checking in with me earlier.” fit into it. “The whole experience, When Lynda received no word from in fact, was as confounding to my Jonathan over the coming weeks, it world view as it was enjoyable,” was clear that something had gone he wrote, “producing in me each awry, and a campaign to find the day a lovely sort of confusion.” missing man begun. Since then, Following his disappearance, those involved in the effort the find Jonathan’s family and friends the UCD alumnus, who was 28 at immediately sprung into action. the time of his disappearance, have Lynda Spollen says that many of made a constant effort to maintain Jonathan’s friends from UCD, some a public awareness of this missing of whom he has known since primary man. The ‘Find Spollen’ campaign school, were the “backbone” in has reached many through social getting the campaign off the ground. media, and has been raised as a “The day that it let it be know than topic for discussion in the Dáil by Jonathan was missing, they came Eoghan Murphy, TD. The case has over and within two hours Find been covered by many Irish media Spollen was launched.” The first outlets, as well as by international few weeks involved establishing outlets including CNN. A forum a strong social media presence to on IndiaMike (a website for those spread awareness, and fundraising travelling in India) appealing for help to allow the family to visit the has seen almost 2,000 posts offering area and search on the ground. help and assistance in the case.

The most important step at this Spollen was a student of politics point was to begin to assemble a and philosophy in UCD from 2001 timeline of Jonathan’s movements. A to 2004, and also a captain of fact finding mission on the ground UCD’s table tennis club. He went led to a comprehensive timeline. “We on to postgraduate studies in Near were able to follow his movements and Middle Eastern Studies in up until my last conversation with University of London’s School of him on the 3rd of February, when Oriental and African Studies, before he said he was going to head off on starting a career as a journalist that his last trek”, Lynda explains. The saw him living in Hong Kong, Abu timetable the family assembled Dhabi and Cairo. While in Cairo, details Jonathan’s movements up to he even kept up his love of table the third of February 2012, when tennis, helping to set up games Jonathan called his mother, plus for street children in the area. several unconfirmed sightings in

photo: courtesy of the spollen family

We were able to follow his movements up until my last conversation with him on the 3rd of February, when he said he was going to head off on his last trek

the following days. There were two developments that changed the understanding of the story. First, it was discovered that Jonathan had been ill, suffering from kidney stones, and may not have been properly advised in the hospital he visited regarding their debilitating effect. “I don’t think he had been told at the hospital how bad that was and how painful that was”, as his mother says. Then in March, several of his belongings were found, though neither his wallet nor the local currency he was using were found. Additionally, it was learned that Jonathan’s visa was to have expired on February 21st.Given his journalistic career, it is unlikely he would have risked losing it and being unable to obtain entry to the country in future. “If he was still okay on the

21st of February, he would’ve been coming home”, says Lynda, outlining the importance of finding out his movements between the 3rd and the 21st. This is just a short summary of the situation, the details of which have been extensively outlined by the Find Spollen campaign.

The Irish consul in India was greatly understanding of the situation. “We were very lucky in that Brian O’Brien, the Irish consul, he understood Jonathan’s interest in trekking”, as Lynda says. O’Brien became an important part of the search effort, and Lynda describes how his help, and that of a local detective in Lakshman Jhula, Kundan Negi, were among the most important resources.

There is still no real understanding of what happened to Jonathan

Spollen. As his mother Lynda says, the hope is that he may have fallen ill and have been cared for locally. “It has happened where someone has an accident or some sort of illness, and someone in the hills will take them in. They’ll perhaps treat it with natural medicine, which takes longer, perhaps even years, to get people back to health. And they will come back.”

Lynda’s biggest hope is that anyone travelling to the country, or who even knows anyone there, will help spread the word. The Find Spollen campaign has several posters available that can be printed off, with photos of Jonathan, and a request by his mother for everyone to keep looking for him.

The Find Spollen campaign is at facebook.com/findjonathan.spollen

Same Militants, Different Religion In a period of heightened attention regarding militancy in the Middle East, Hiba Mir examines the prevalence of extremism across religions It has been readily demonstrated in recent times, especially since the murder of the Pakistani schoolchildren in Peshawar in December 2014, the attack on the Charlie Hebdo offices in France in January 2015 as well as countless other acts, that misguided Islamic militants are still operating around the world.

These militants are acting outside of their religion. No religion bases its foundations on bringing about unrest; the very meaning of ‘Islam’ is ‘peace’, and ‘Muslim’ is translated as ‘submit in peace’. Using violence to get one’s way has been a theme throughout history, and many have used religion to rile up the uneducated in the past. All religions are guilty of it- and this is demonstrated in the pasts of both Islam and Christianity. In fact, many parallels can be drawn between the two. anders breivik styled himself as a “modern christian crusader” Unrest was rife in the medieval period between the two religions. the warlike energies of the warrior Dr Edward Coleman, from the UCD are also fiercely anti-Jewish and Indian state with Christian majority) to achieve a racist-social order.” or knightly class of Western Europe School of History and Archives, says anti-Muslim. They are linked with who force non-Christians to convert.”

Religion certainly played a in its service. This results in the “The earliest armed confrontations the Christian Patriot Movement Militant Christianity is as prevalent role in the Troubles in Northern Crusades (1095 onwards) which can between the Muslim and Christian and other militia movements in the as the infamous militant Islam; it is Ireland, and was used as a means be said to have had a much clearer worlds takes place in the context of US who were involved in variety simply the media’s choice to focus to bring up bad blood between the religious ideology and aims than the the Arab expansion and conquest of violent attacks on individuals on one aspect of religious extremist Republican side and the Loyalists.

Arab conquests of earlier centuries.” “Some Loyalist/Unionist groups in in the Mediterranean, which spans and US government facilities, for militants. It’s not old news; it’s just as Religion was inserted into roughly the period between the era example, the famous Waco Seige.” brutal and taking part in the West. the North used militant Christian/ militancy, and a startling example of the Rightly Guided Caliphs (who The Lord’s Resistance Army, lead The Muslim militants weren’t Protestant discourse, for example, of this fact is the Klu Klux Klan succeeded the Prophet Muhammed

by Kony, in operation today, “is a intolerant in the past, as Dr Coleman the Orange Volunteers led by in America, which began in the (632-61 CE) up until 900s. During Christian fundamentalist militant explains. “Conversion of non-Muslims pastor Clifford Peeples described 1860s. With fragments of the this time, the Arabs came to rule organisation which in some respects to Islam was never an aim of the Catholic churches as ‘bastions of the organisation still operating today, over eastern or orthodox Christian Arab conquest. There were no forced Antichrist’,” Professor Malesevic says. is similar to some radical Muslim Prof Sinisa Malesevic, Professor of peoples, which had previously been organisations such as Boko Haram. conversions though some people What about today, where are the Sociology in UCD, explains their under the Byzantine Empire (e.g. did convert voluntarily. Nor indeed modern militant Christians? Professor They both target children and aims: “The KKK was first and Syria and Egypt) and also parts of show no mercy to their enemies. was there significant persecution Malesevic describes Christian Western Europe ( e.g. Spain, southern foremost a racist organisation with There are other militant Christian of religious minorities … Rather Identity, another US movement. strong anti-Semitic and anti-Catholic “Among contemporary militant Italy) in which the majority of the groups in the world such as Antitheir goal was take control of the focus. Although they did rely on population professed Western or Balaka militias in Central African Holy Land, particularly Jerusalem, Christian groups it is better to focus Latin Christianity and looked towards Christian Protestant rhetoric and and secure it for pilgrims due on ‘Christian Identity’… an extremist Republic (fighting Muslim militias), symbols (including the burning the Papacy for religious leadership.”

The National Liberation Front the religious significance it had movement that combines racism/ cross), their ambition was a ‘whites Religion didn’t play a key role of Tripura, a Tripuri nationalist for Christians (as it did for Jews white supremacist ambitions with only’ society where there would be in the beginning, as Dr Coleman Christian militant organization and Muslims too of course).” the rigid and militant interpretation no place for the African-American explains. “Christian militancy based in Tripura, India who want However, it’s no longer as simple, as of Christianity. For example, some Protestant Christians...They were emerges as a force to be reckoned to establish an independent Tripuri Professor Malesevic continues. “…it of their exponents believe that Protestant, sectarian racists where with in the eleventh century when state, National Socialist Council of is difficult to compare contemporary only white people have souls and Christianity was more of a means the papacy harnesses and channels Nagaland in India too (Nagaland is groups that rely on the modern others can never be saved. They 10 february 18th 2015

Militant Christianity is as prevalent as the infamous militant Islam; it is simply the media’s choice to focus on one aspect of religious extremist militants

technology and communications with those that existed long time ago.

In the contemporary environment everybody is aware of the religious differences in the world (mass media, internet etc) while before the modern era ordinary people had little sense of what other religions stand for.

Hence, there is greater emphasis now on attempting to de-legitimise the (religious) enemy and violence is used in a different way than before.”

The militants are playing games with the public and their victims to get their own way. The actions of militant Muslims and Christians alike do not represent their religions.

Communities within these religions must find their problems within themselves, cure that disease and go back to teaching tolerance. As stated by the Quran, the Muslim’s holy book and guide; ‘If someone kills a human being … it is as if he has killed all of humanity’ (5:32).

features diary of a Taoishmuck We get a sneak-peek into the Dear Leader’s personal journal

10/02

We have to be concerned about the possibility that the next government will be made up of Lucinda Cray-Cray’s new “party” (rumours of sightings, much like those of Bigfoot, persist)

The worst has truly come to pass...

I’m pregnant. Fionnuala (Mrs Taoishmuck) keeps telling me that we should be happy, that it’s a medical marvel (particularly at my age) and what will be will be- but I can’t be happy right now. It was hard enough dealing with Labour the first time, and the results of that were painful for all of us. You heard it here first: in about fourteen months or probably quite a bit less, at the next general election I’ll probably be giving birth to a baby maverick government where politicians and parties actually have the mental capabilities to take a stance on things.

Oh, the irony! It’s the one foetal abnormality I wish I could abort for!

But with the Coalition and Fianna Fáil voting no on Clare Daly’s Fatal Foetal Abnormalities Bill and Sinn Féin refusing to vote at all (they’ll only ever talk the talk), we have to be concerned about the possibility that the next government will be made up of Lucinda Cray-Cray’s new “party” (rumours of sightings, much like those of Bigfoot, persist) and a bunch of Independents. Unfortunately it’s too late to abort- it’s already started kicking- and God forbid I ever admit I’m wrong. Come on, old biddys of Ireland. Since we voted no on the bill, the Pro-Lifers are, somehow, my only hope of winning the next election.

How in the hell did that happen?

but I know she liked it really. She got me a nice big card for Valentine’s Day. Usually she doesn’t get me anything so I was delighted, and then I opened it up. She wrote a poem: Roses are red, Lilies are white, I’ve told you before, I don’t believe in this shite.

I didn’t talk to her for the whole rest of the day, and then she didn’t even cook dinner.

14/02

15/02

I’m so excited to give Fionnuala her Valentine’s Day present. She doesn’t really like Valentine’s Day, but I’m a hopeless romantic, not just hopeless! Hahaha. I got her a deadly cookbook from Avoca and am going to let her do the dinner for us tonight rather than going out, because she always gives out about going for a fancy dinner. It’ll be just class.

Later I gave Fionnuala her present and she looked at me as if I was mad,

This whole Greece thing has me scuppered. Everyone keeps looking at me for answers on what Greece should do, what we should do if Greece does this, what we should do if Greece does that. The only thing I know about Greece is that it comes in handy on the pan when you’re making the Saturday morning fry up. It’s just as well Noonan’s there to cover up for all the bits I’m not sure about. But look, it’s a bit unfair that Greece are trying to renegotiate their

bailout agreement. We’re managing ours, and look how wonderfully we’re doing now. And sure don’t they have the weather over there anyway to cheer themselves up through the doom and gloom. We’ve had to toil through days of rain and hail as well as being broke. Still, work builds character I suppose. Thanks Europe.

16/02

Personally, I find trolley watching to be good sport, so I don’t know why everyone’s complaining about it. Sure, it’s in no one’s best interests to be on a trolley and the elderly aren’t big fans of spending their golden years at the side of a hospital corridor, but once you turn it into a game it’s actually very entertaining. Myself and Noonan are placing bets as to whether the number of patients on trolleys in Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital in Drogheda will go up or down on any given day (we chose Drogheda because there’s no fear of all patients getting beds there any time soon).

I’m €50 up so far. Seriously though, what do they want me to do? I don’t have any spare beds in my house. I don’t think they’d appreciate if I went down with a few sleeping bags either.

They’d be better off if they went and got Mattress Mick to do them a deal.

Come on lads, use your brains. The shine is coming off Leo Varadkar as Health Minister very quickly since this was announced. Thank God he came out as being gay. People have started being very politically correct around him and won’t insult him too much in case it comes across as homophobic. The whole thing worked out well for everyone. We’ll have to get Maria Walsh for Minister for Arts and Gaeltacht affairs.

17/02

Lads, it’s Pancake Tuesday! The best Tuesday of the year! Ah, I can’t wait to get in to the Dáil canteen and eat a big stack of them. Fine Gael and Fianna Fáil always have a big pancake eating contest. When Brian Cowen was here he was a hard man to beat, but Micheál Martin’s only a skinny wee thing and I’ve trounced him every year. To be fair to him, he’s following Cowen and Bertie Ahern before him- he had big trousers to fill. The secret is, you try to avoid drinking the water along with them and just eat them with the butter and sugar and lemon so your tummy doesn’t get full up too fast.

By leaving out the water, it takes you longer to get full and it also saves you money on the charges.

Everybody wins! Except Micheál Martin, but he’s used to losing at this stage.

Talking Mental Health in UCD

Mental health is an issue that affects us all, not just those with mental illness. Eithne Dodd looks at the efforts being made in UCD to raise awareness.

The youth mental health website Headstrong defines mental health as “a way to describe the state of your mind, feelings, emotions and nerves. Mental health is the balance between all aspects of life–social, physical, spiritual and emotional. It impacts on how we manage our surroundings and make choices in our lives.”

While mental health is being discussed more and more by young people, many of us still mistake mental health for mental illness as both terms can often be used interchangeably. Doctor John Hillery is a consultant psychiatrist in the HSE and the director of the External Affairs Department of the College of Psychiatrists Ireland and defines mental health as “not just the absence of disease, it’s a positive sense of mental wellbeing and being able to cope with everyday life”.

Both the stigma and the misunderstanding surrounding mental health clouds the issues it aims to tackle. “There is a fear of talking of mental health in Ireland because we think we’re talking about mental illness,” says Hillery. “We have to get past that [stigma] and talk about mental health... we have to have the conversation about how we promote mental health in the country.”

Hillery continues, “When we talk about promoting health we talk about doing healthy things like exercise, diet; but when we talk about mental health we tend to talk about mental illness, and we need to change that conversation.”

UCDSU aims to address just that issue and has recently announced the creation of a new position in the Student Union, a Mental Health Coordinator to promote awareness of the issues affecting UCD student’s mental health. The position exists under the auspices of the Welfare Office. Andrew McKeown, the new UCDSU Mental Health Coordinator, says “It is my duty to assist the Welfare and Equality Officer in all campaigning and lobbying on mental health issues, especially those issues that are pertinent to UCD students.”

McKeown continued, “While the election only took place two weeks ago, the Office was first created last semester. The delay occurred because the Union is committed to an open democratic legislative process, and wished to ensure the constitutionality of the position.”

The aims of those working in the area of youth mental health, including Hillery, are to promote and advocate for proper mental health services and promoting mental health as opposed to dealing with mental illness- in Hillery’s words, “that means getting there before people get ill.” Andrew McKeown aims to do much the same thing in UCD. Hillery believes that the creation of the role of a Mental Health Coordinator was a positive step.

“When people come to college they need supports around things that will make their college life better and also make them feel better about themselves and set them up for the rest of their lives,” says Hillery. “Someone needs to advocate to ensure that the resources are there and they deliver the help when it’s needed for people who have those problems but it has to be a bigger picture thing and it sounds... [like] that what’s this person will be.”

For many people, going to college can affect or alter their mental health. “When people come to college they’re at a stage in their lives where there’s a lot of changes going on with them anyway and a lot of stresses, new challenges and, for any of us that’s a time when we have to make sure that we work our own resilience and look after ourselves,” says Hillery. “We know that when people leave school and go to college they go from a position of... being told what to do, to having to do things ourselves so there can be a big leap from the point of view of problem solving there, and then people go from a small close knit community of school... into the larger grounds that is UCD.” Hillery named isolation, bingedrinking and self-harm as things that seriously harm people’s mental

Andrew mckeown addresses the Students’ union Council photo: james brady

health but are not talked about enough. In 2012, Headstrong and the UCD School of Psychology published a National Study of Youth Mental Health. The survey found that 61% of young adults were outside the normal range for drinking behaviour. 43% reported that they had thought that their life was not worth living at some point.

51% had thought about taking their life. 21% reported that they had deliberately hurt themselves without wanting to take their life.

As Hillery put it, “there are a lot of things going on that I think people are afraid to talk about.”

Hillery had this advice to give someone in the role of Mental Health Coordinator of UCD: “The main issue around mental illness is isolation in the broadest term of

the word.” “Making sure everyone is included to a certain extent, making sure the supports are there and the ethos is there within the university.”

A huge part of the role of mental health coordinator is to raise awareness about mental health issues as well as where and how people can obtain information about their mental health. The National Youth Mental Health Survey asked what sources had young adults used to obtain information or support about their mental health and well-being. The internet was the most common source (55%), followed by friends (52%) and parents (45%). 15% had used student counselling services, 3% had consulted a lecturer, and only 2% had used a phone help-line.

While McKeown won’t be dealing

with students directly, he will be promoting positive mental health on campus as well as raising students’ awareness of the services available to them should they be having problems. McKeown said: “I will be coordinating with Pleasetalk, ReachOut and BodyWhys in organising events later in the semester, and the office is currently in talks with the IADT Student Union about an inter-union Positive Mental Health initiative.”

As Hillery said, “People need to know where they can go if they are worried about a friend.”

If students are experiencing difficulties, they can contact, and make appointments with the UCD Counselling Service (01-7163133)

february 18th 2015

science Aoife Hardesty Staff Writer

The name is bond, vibrational bond, and scientists have found evidence to suggest that such a bond exists. A vibrational bond is formed between three atoms, with two atoms that are much heavier than a third atom.

This lighter atom bounces between the two atoms like a bouncy ball, hence the name. The bond is not permanent; it only exists for a brief moment on the order of milliseconds.

First theorised in the early 1980’s, it was in 1989 that an experiment in a nuclear accelerator in Vancouver revealed signs that such a bond may be possible. Scientists were experimenting with bromine and muonium in a nuclear accelerator.

This is a particle accelerator in which charged particles are sent through a high voltage tube surrounded by high voltage electric currents.

The presence of the current excites the particles, giving them enough energy to accelerate and eventually collide with huge energies.

What they saw was that the reaction slowed down when the temperature increased instead of speeding up.

One of the most observed properties of chemical reactions is that they speed up as temperature increases, so you can imagine the scientists’ surprise when their reaction slowed down. Donald Fleming, a chemist from University of British Columbia was behind the nuclear accelerator experiments in Vancouver back in 1989 and thought the results could be explained by applying the theory of vibrational bonds.

Fast forwarding to the modern era, and many changes have been made in the scientific world. One of the most useful changes is improved scientific equipment. Scientists made use of the more accurate equipment to detect subtle changes in the energy of the atoms, and they used this to detect and confirm the presence of vibrational bonds.

The bond occurred between two bromine atoms and muonium, a

A Bonding Moment Scientists have confirmed the existence of a new type of chemical bond theorised over 30 years ago. Aoife Hardesty explains the science behind this ground-breaking discovery

What they saw was that the reaction slowed down when the temperature increased instead of speeding up

the triumf research laboratory, canada photo: adam foster via flickr

super light atom which is lighter than hydrogen, the lightest element on the periodic table. Hydrogen is made up of a single electron orbiting a nucleus of one proton. Muonium is made of a single electron orbiting an anti-muon.

A muon is considered a fundamental particle, meaning it has no smaller constituents. It is unstable and it has negative charge of -1. It is about 200 times heavier than an electron. An anti-muon is not a protestor against muons, it is the equal and opposite to a muon in that it has a charge of +1, the exact opposite charge to a muon.

Anti-matter is material made of anti-particles which are particles which are equal to the regular particles but are opposite in charge.

Anti-matter does not exist naturally on Earth but it is theorised that after the Big Bang there were equal amounts of matter and anti-matter.

As to why there is now an abundance of matter remains an unanswered question. Anti-matter particles are manufactured by collisions in controlled settings and are then often used in scientific experiments.

The oscillation of the small muonium atom causes a bonding effect by bringing the bromine atoms closer together. This reduces the energy of the reaction which in the presence of increasing temperature would make it appear as though the reaction is slowing down. The muonium atom absorbs the energy

from the increased temperature and vibrates between the faster and faster, forming a stronger bond and decreasing the rate of reaction.

While studying the reaction, the scientists were looking for and measuring two things; the potential energy surface of the system and a quantum mechanical parameter, the vibrational zero point energy or ZPE. ZPE is the lowest amount of energy a quantum mechanical system can have, in essence it is the ground state of a quantum mechanical system.

Usually chemical bonds are formed by a decrease in potential energy and a small increase in ZPE, so theoretically the direct opposite would be possible is the theory.

Fleming and his team reproduced the experiment at Rutherford Appleton Laboratory in England three years ago. Along with collaborators at Saitama University in Japan and Free University of Berlin the calculations from the research led the chemists to conclude a new type of temporary chemical bond formed that affected the vibrational energy of the brominemuonium reaction. The findings were published in “Angewandte Chemie International Edition” a publication of the German Chemical Society.

When this experiment was carried out with heavier isotopes of hydrogen, the hydrogens bonded to the bromines via Van der Waals force, but when muonium was used,

there was a large decrease in ZPE, an increase in potential energy resulting in a vibrational bond appearing.

While you may feel the urge to show off to your friends and tell them that a new type of bond exists, so far vibrational bonds do not appear all that fundamental to the world around us. It is unlikely that vibrational bonds will be appearing on the leaving certificate curriculum anytime soon, and it seems that the other bonds (Ionic, covalent, hydrogen and Van der Waals to name but a few) will continue to dominate our surrounding environment.

What’s the matter?

Matter can find itself in much more complex states than solids, liquids and gases. John Savage looks at the more exotic examples of these states

Matter is the building blocks of the universe, making up all that we see in the universe and while it is known that it can be solid, liquid or gas, quite a lot of its nature is still unknown. In theoretical physics, from Einstein’s theory of Special Relativity came the ground-breaking idea that the matter and energy of a particle are interchangeable. Two small particles with their kinetic energy can combine to form a larger body with greater mass than the constituent particles, demonstrating this concept of conversion aptly. A way of explaining this would be if you threw two golf balls at each other, they collided and where they struck a tennis ball appeared. From their collision, something different and bigger than both of them was formed. This article will look at various types of matter that are not discussed as frequently yet are perhaps more interesting.

Matter cannot be considered as simple as the three states solid, liquid or gas anymore in modern physics. With the advent of the 20th Century came Heisenberg, Schroedinger, his cat and quantum mechanics, which discussed the phenomena of subatomic particles.

This in layman’s terms, is what electrons, protons and other smallerthan-atom particles do that cannot be seen, even with a microscope.

An example of this would include the wave-particle duality of light, which is as confusing as it sounds.

In 1998, the term ‘photonic matter’ was coined. While this term may seem very technical it actually belies a very exciting prospect, light acting as a particle. Photonic matter is when photons (bundles of light) collide and stick together. This behaviour, while seeming quite simple, is in fact confusing upon further consideration, as light in this case starts acting as if it has mass like matter, but as is well known light does not have mass.

In one very famous movie trilogy light does behave like matter. That world renowned trilogy is Star Wars of course. Researchers in the field 12 february 18th 2015

The bosons all condense into the same energy state leading to what some scientists describe as one giant matter wave

Photo: Erwin Schroedinger (seated, centre left) took up an academic position in dublin during the 1940’s at the institute of advanced studies

themselves compared this formation of unnatural matter to the lightsaber.

Before you start dreaming of slicing bread with your very own lightsaber, it is unlikely that this will occur in our lifetime. These photonic molecules are made by passing light through an atomic cloud, held in a vacuum chamber at nearly absolute zero and can only be sustained in this very specific environment. But, there is hope for your futuristic bread knife as science constantly redefines what is possible. There are useful real world applications for photonic matter, including in classical computing, as photons are a lot easier to manipulate than electrons as it takes a lot less energy

Two small particles with their kinetic energy can combine to form a larger body with greater mass than the constituent particles

to manipulate them. This concept of low energy matter however is not restricted to just photonic matter.

Back in 1925, Einstein with Bose proposed the concept of ‘BoseEinstein Condensate matter’ or ‘BEC matter’. This state of matter is observed when a gas of bosons (photons and certain atoms, including Helium) are cooled to the point of absolute zero. This allows for an otherwise imperceptible phenomena to be observed as they ‘condense’ which reduces their energy to near zero. The bosons all condense into the same energy state leading to what some scientists describe as one giant matter wave. No physical example of this idea was produced until

1995, approximately 70 years on.

Another type of matter was proposed around the same time by Ralph Fowler called ‘degenerate matter’ which hails from quantum mechanics, yet is found among the stars. Unlike the two previous types of matter, this degenerate matter can occur in nature, yet can also be synthesised at extremely low temperatures in labs. It occurs in very compact stars known as white dwarfs and affects protons, neutrons and electrons. It is also known as electron or neutron degenerate matter for this reason. Unbound or ‘free’ particles have a minimum space they can occupy or energy they can have and as you increase the

pressure on them the lower energy states become completely filled.

This compression creates a pile on of particles, forcing certain particles to have a higher energy as all of the lower energy spaces are filled. This forms a unique arrangement which the particles are forced together due to extreme pressure, like a diamond being formed from coal. It is a different structure formed from the same parts due to extreme pressure.

However, there is a ‘push back’ from the higher energy electrons which is referred to as ‘degeneracy pressure’, which prevents the core of the star from collapsing in on itself and forming a black hole. This effect highlights the complexity of the smallest forms of matter.

Matter is not as simple as scientists thought it once was and they are constantly finding new types of matter which challenge what they know. They may be finding the types theorized many years ago but they are also finding out the answers to many questions, from the size of stars the whole way down to a scale we can barely conceive. The types of matter in this article serve to teach us that there is still a lot to learn, even with regards to what is considered already known and that there is a certain unexpected complexity to these universal building blocks.

science

Ocean of Noise

Noise pollution in our oceans is becoming a serious problem for marine animals. Eco Soc’s Louise Flanagan examines the damage that’s been done and how the problem is being tackled Pollution of our oceans is an unfortunate fact of life today. Many of us are familiar with images of sea birds covered in sticky swathes of oil following an oil spill, or the swells of plastic debris caught in massive whirlpools in our oceans, or even chemical runoff. A form of pollution that is not as visible to us however, because of its very nature, is noise pollution. This, not so silent, killer has been responsible for the deaths of numerous cetaceans (whales, dolphins and porpoises) as well as octopi and squid over the past number of years.

The main sources of noise pollution have been attributed to commercial shipping vessels and trawlers, oil and gas sensing technology and military sonar. But how can something as basic as sound be responsible for so much destruction to marine life?

For millions of years marine ecosystems have evolved in response to their surroundings, with organisms fine-tuning their senses and adapting to their environment. With the advent of the industrial age these surroundings began to change very quickly and this has become even more rapid in recent times. The rise of industry has led to an increase in, among others, chemical runoff, ocean CO2 levels and not least of all, noise. Any kind of change can cause an imbalance in an ecosystem, and when the change is so rapid it does not give organisms a chance to adapt.

Sound is the primary sense for many sea creatures, especially for those living at lower depths, where light is almost non-existent. They depend on it for communication, finding mates and prey, avoiding predators, sensing their surroundings and being aware of environmental cues, all of which are essential to their survival. Whales in particular have sonar-like abilities to create a sound map of their

environment. They operate on low frequencies, below 1000Hz, similar to the frequencies emitted by human activity in the ocean.

A study published in 2012 and led by the US-based National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) showed that the endangered Right Whales found off the east coast of the US were having trouble communicating with each other thanks to the chronic noise provided by local shipping traffic. The noise from these ships has reduced the levels of communication between these mammals by between 63% and 67% compared to 50 years ago, making it very difficult for the whales to find food, protect their young or even remain aware of their own surroundings. With populations declining, the breakdown in communication may only be driving the Right Whale to extinction faster. This is only one example of distress caused by noise pollution.

Many whale beachings have also occurred over the past half a century. In 2002 14 beaked whales were washed ashore onto the Canary Islands. Their ears were bleeding due to decompression sickness, also known as the bends. These deep sea animals had come to the surface too quickly, with the sudden change in pressure leading to the production of nitrogen gas bubbles in their bloodstreams. This blocked vital blood vessels resulting in the death of all 14 beaked whales. These animals ascend and descend from very deep in the oceans on a daily basis; it is what they have evolved to do. So what caused them to ascend so quickly?

Naval sonar is blamed by some marine biologists, however others seriously dispute this. Many beaching events over the past 40 years seem to coincide with sonar testing activity, indicating a possible

A southern right whale breaching outside hermanus harbour, south africa photo: titus hageman via flickr

relationship between the two. It must be remembered that sound is faster, louder and travels further in water than it does in air. This means that any noise in the ocean, human derived or not, will be amplified greatly compared to what we hear on land. Sound waves cause vibrations in water, and these vibrations can hit sea creatures with a distinct physical force, especially when the intensity of the sound is very high. Sonar is capable of achieving this high intensity; it can send out particularly powerful pulses of sound that can travel hundreds, if not thousands, of kilometres.

Something interesting happened in 2001 when all shipping in the US was halted in the week following 9/11. The oceans were effectively silenced. This provided a unique opportunity to see how sea creatures reacted to pre-industrial noise levels.

It was noted that the stress levels of the Right Whales in the Bay of Fundy reduced dramatically. This gave a baseline for comparison of marine stress levels which was not available when the dangers of noise pollution in the ocean were first postulated by Donald Ross back in 1976. Now it was possible to see more clearly what effect the modern cacophony of shipping noise was having on marine animals.

Noise pollution doesn’t just affect larger mammals however; it has also been shown to have detrimental effects on other sea creatures too.

After unprecedented numbers of giant squid washed up on Spanish shores between 2001 and 2003 some studies were carried out to see if there was an underlying cause. What Michel André of the Technical University of Catalonia and his team discovered was that the statocyst, a bulbous

organ found in the head of squids, octopi and other cephalopods which is responsible for their balance and orientation, had been pulverised after they were exposed to low frequency sounds for 2 hours. This eventually rendered them immobile, making them easy prey. Shipping noises have also been found to increase metabolism in crabs, indicating heightened levels of stress.

With all of these issues arising from noise pollution are there any plans to resolve the problem or at least take strides towards its improvement? Between 2007 and 2010 the NOAA embarked on a mission to create a sound map of the worlds’ oceans, documenting all the areas where noise pollution was at its greatest and lowest and give indications as to the source of that noise. It also mapped the location and density of cetacean populations in

the oceans to see if many the habitats overlapped with areas of particularly intense noise pollution. Following from their research the NOAA and the US government put a proposal to the UN International Maritime Organisation (IMO) to introduce noise reduction guidelines for ships.

These voluntary guidelines were brought in during 2014 and aim to reduce low frequency shipping levels by 10 decibels over the next thirty years. The recommendations mainly focus on ship design and including cleaner, more efficient propellers, travelling at slower speeds and making efforts to reduce cavitation (vapour bubble production). It is hoped that these guidelines will be made compulsory in the near future.

“Is there a researcher in the house?!”

Conor de Paor talks to Marcella O’Reilly about her research as a PhD student and her dreams of being a rally car driver in another life

What is your research about?

My research involves investigating different types of fat from our food and how they impact our health. My main research question is determining how grass versus grain fed beef can affect our metabolic and cardiovascular health. I am interested in particular in the different types of fatty acids within beef, such as conjugated linoleic acid (CLA) and polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA’s). There are many forms of CLA and one beneficial form c9,t11 CLA, can be increased in beef by feeding more grass. This form of CLA has been shown to have anti-inflammatory effects which can be beneficial for metabolic and cardiovascular health.

How did you become interested in your area of research?

I studied Pharmacology in UCD and was always interested in ways that can improve one’s health, either pharmaceutical or through food (nutraceutical). I became particularly interested in the effects of fatty acids on our metabolic and cardiovascular health through my post as a Research Assistant (RA) in the UCD Conway Institute. I started as a RA straight after my degree to gain more experience in research and learn more about this area. It also helped me decide whether or not I wanted to pursue a PhD.

Why are you doing a PhD? I really enjoy lab work and investing how different interventions can affect our bodies. It also appeals to me that what we investigate will add to scientific knowledge.

Also you acquire so many skills during your PhD, problem solving, project management, time management, planning, teaching, creativity and written and oral communication of ideas.

What’s the hardest thing about undertaking a PhD? The commitment can be a daunting prospect. In science, PhDs are usually 4 years long. It can be off putting as you don’t earn very much.

How do you undertake your research?

It starts off with a review of the current scientific literature on my topic and then I develop a research plan or hypothesis. My typical day is spent between the laboratory carrying out experiments and my desk interpreting results and keeping up with the literature.

What do you use for your research in terms of materials and equipment?

Most of my research is carried out in a laboratory. We carry out feeding intervention studies and cell-based studies. I use an immune cell called a macrophage, which is an important cell in our bodies for resolving inflammation, a problem that is seen in obesity, metabolic syndrome and cardiovascular disease. I investigate how the fatty acids mentioned above will affect the macrophages functions.

I also use fat cells or adipocytes which play an important role in our body’s metabolism and health.

Do you find funding difficult to acquire?

The funding was acquired by my supervisors Dr. Fiona McGillicuddy and Prof. Helen Roche who applied to The Department of Agriculture and Foods Food Institutional Research Measure (FIRM). I then applied for the PhD position. Most research grants can be highly competitive.

What applications do you see for your research?

It will help to predict how the consumption of different types of beef will impact on our health. It will

also help develop the best feeding strategy for beef cattle that is both sustainable and has the best possible health implications for humans.

Do you enjoy teaching undergraduates?

I do enjoy teaching undergraduates.

I love the enthusiasm that they bring to the lab and the questions they ask.

Sometimes they can have a different angle or approach to things that I had not considered.

What are your plans for when you are finished?

I have about 3 years to completion so still exploring all my options. At the moment I can see myself taking up a post-doctoral opportunity in a research laboratory abroad.

Would you undertake any more academic research after your PhD? I would like to think so. I enjoy the learning and discovery that academia brings.

If you could do any other job what would it be and why?

I would love to be a rally car driver or scuba diving instructor. Just something completely different!

photo: courtesy of marcella o’reilly

Gm- oh?

Are the natural foods we are choosing to eat, really natural and if not, does it really matter? Laura Carroll investigates For many years the idea of genetically modified crops or organisms has been an area of controversy. On one hand, we have eager scientists developing their revolutionary ideas, then we have the sceptics equally eager to knock it down. Let’s not forget the big corporations who see money signs all over the initial blueprints fresh from the latest research labs.

According to Oxford English Dictionary the word natural means “existing in or derived from nature, not made or caused by humankind”.

Normally this would favour the anti-GM radicals who claim that scientists and food corporations alike are imposing a death wish onto the nation. Despite the bad reputation GM crops get, perhaps they are much closer to the idea of natural than we really think.

Firstly, what is a GMO? A genetically modified organism is an organism that has a fragment of its own DNA removed and replaced with the DNA of another organism or another species to yield a particular result. This process is done by genetic engineering. However, it is important to look at the famous “Central Dogma of Life”, in that life is based around the idea that DNA codes a readable transcript, which encodes a protein. This simple yet elegant explanation of how life works in its ultimate marvel, is considered natural. Therefore GMOs could be considered natural? We are purely dealing with DNA, something derived from nature, and definitely not made by humankind. It is simply the treatment of this genetic material that makes it stand out. It leads one to believe that the GM crop controversy

may be a psychological and political issue rather than a scientific one.

When considering natural and GM crops, Monsanto must be considered as they prove integral to the food market that exists today.

The company has a negative image with the invention of DDT, Agent Orange, all which proved to be detrimental to human health and the environment. However who is to say that the GM crops they produce have not followed the same path as these other products. It is natural to assume this thought. However since the surge in biotechnology by George Bush Senior in the 1980s onwards, the U.S FDA and EPA have been keeping a close eye on the matter and cases of toxicity are still quite rare and unheard of.

Monsanto revolutionised the agricultural industry with products

such as biological insecticides, which manipulate the genetic material of the bacteria Bacillus thuringiensis. This insecticide can produce a crystalline protein structure capable of deterring insects from crop, all through the process of genetic engineering.

We see that GM crops can have a positive effect on the developing world. This was the case for Golden Rice. Golden Rice is genetically engineered rice to help biosynthesise beta – carotene, a precursor for vitamin A, all from the edible parts of rice. This innovation came with the insertion of the genetic material of psy (phytoene synthase) from daffodil and crtI (carotene desaturase) from the soil bacterium Erwinia uredovora, both of which have

the capabilities of biosynthesising this Vitamin A precursor.

In recent years this method has also been backed by the likes of The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition concluding that beta – carotene from these genetically modified corn seeds was effectively converted to vitamin A in humans. This could be a possible answer to the 250 million preschool children that are vitamin A deficient, according to the World Health Organisation.

As well as that, Golden Rice has been FDA approved and this is backed by reputable organisations such as the IRRI. However, the controversy lies in the fear that biodiversity will be jeopardised, and while this is a legitimate and real concern, one must also consider the positive human effect.

Golden Rice is genetically engineered rice to help biosynthesise beta – carotene, a precursor for vitamin A, all from the edible parts of rice

february 18th 2015

student voices sex is boring In a world where sex usually sells, Aífe McHugh looks at how, for some people, it just doesn’t

Imagine living in a world where everyone’s weirdly obsessed with hiking, where hiking is taken very seriously. But you can’t just talk about hiking. It’s embarrassing, it’s intimate. Hiking is largely tied with romance. When you find someone you really love, you’ll hike with them monogamously for the rest of your life. Some people do hike for fun with friends, but it’s a messy business where feelings can get tangled if you’re not careful.

Imagine women’s magazines with coy columns of hiking tips, Men’s magazines with articles like ‘get her to hike on the first date’, advertisements for everything from yoghurt to cars include people in vaguely hiking-like poses. Billions are spent annually on covertly-purchased hiking videos, magazines, and toys.

You get that hiking is probably fun.

The endorphins and togetherness might help you bond. Maybe you enjoy hiking occasionally yourself.

However, the idea that hiking is the ultimate expression of love necessary for a functional relationship is a bit weird. It’s as if everyone’s in on a big joke that you’re missing. People can apparently look at a person and get an instant overwhelming feeling of ‘God, I want to hike with you’. It’s a little hard to believe, a little weirdly specific, I mean it’s just hiking.

My name is Aífe and I don’t experience sexual attraction.

Someone who doesn’t experience sexual attraction is called asexual (‘ace’ for short). Asexuality is a sexual orientation. Asexuality is sexual attraction to zero genders.

It’s a simple concept, but one that people seem to have a lot of trouble with. Maybe it’s because sex is everywhere. Many people respond to the concept of asexuality with horror and confusion. “How can you not be sexually attracted to anyone?”

In fact, about 1% of all people feel this way. That is, don’t ever experience sexual attraction. It might not seem like that many, but 1% is 70,000,000 people in

14 february 18th 2015

the world, 64,000 people Ireland and about 250 students in UCD. 1% is a conservative estimate as well, as asexuality is kind of an ‘invisible orientation’. It’s a lot easier to realise that you’re sexually attracted to a certain gender than it is to realise that no one does it for you.

I, for one, knew about asexuality in abstract for 3 years before it occurred to me that it might apply to myself.

What does an absence of sexual attraction even feel like?

If my elegantly crafted hiking metaphor didn’t help, I have this handy dandy exercise to give you a window into my world: Remember the last time you espied another human and did not feel like having sex with them specifically? Yeah? Well, asexuality is that, but all the time.

Beyond that unifying factor, there is a lot of variation amongst aces. Many asexuals vary in their attitudes to sex - even though they don’t experience attraction, some asexuals enjoy having sex (sexfavourable), some are ‘meh’ about the whole thing (sex-indifferent), and some get nauseous or panicky at even the thought (sex-repulsed).

As well as the people who never experience sexual attraction ever, the asexuality spectrum encompasses ‘grey-asexual’ or ‘grey-a’. These people who experience sexual attraction very mildly and/or rarely, they are in the ‘grey area’ between sexual and asexual. The spectrum also includes ‘demisexuals’, or people who only experience sexual attraction after a strong emotional bond has been established.

There’s also romantic orientation to consider. Most of us can acknowledge that you can think someone is hot without wanting to date them, and in asexual people it’s particularly obvious that the opposite happens too. Basically any prefix you can put before ‘sexual’ works before ‘romantic’ too. So, a homoromantic asexual male is romantically attracted to other dudes, but not sexually.

The annapurna mountains, nepal Photo: james brady

Remember the last time you espied another human being and did not feel like having sex with them specifically?

Yeah? Well, asexuality is that, but all the time

Many young asexual people take a while to figure this out. We don’t even know what sexual attraction feels like. It’s in the job description. Our society presumes everyone is sexual (and, let’s be real, heterosexual), so if a young ace has a crush, they’re going to presume that sexual attraction is there in the cocktail of feelings.

Of course, there are also aromantic people of all sexual orientations (sexual and romantic orientations don’t always match) who don’t feel romantic attraction at all (and greyaromantics, and demiromantics).

Asexuality isn’t chasity, for one thing. They look similar from the outside, but chastity is something you do, and asexuality is something

you feel, something you are.

Asexuality describes attraction, chastity describes behaviour.

There are a hell of a lot of chaste asexuals, I’m not going to lie to you, but people experiencing loads of sexual attraction might choose not to have sex too. Likewise, a sex-favourable asexual might do the deed regularly (in compromise with a romantic partner, conforming to social expectation, they just really like orgasms, etc). People are complicated.

There’s also this idea that asexuals are emotionless robots (come on guys, you’re the ones going on about being ‘turned on’ all the time), or judgemental prudes (chill, we really do not care), or

“that’s a bit overdramatic. Do you need to label everything?”

The thing is, though, that asexual people experience something vastly different to culturally expected norms and if we didn’t have words for it people would be settling on words like ‘weird’ and ‘broken’.

This article has definitely been a very quick rundown, and there’s plenty I can’t cover in such a small space. Give it an aul google, if you still have questions, or try out asexuality.org.

Student Voices

Amnesty Writers’ CluB: The death of Shaimaa el-Sabbagh

The ongoing political turmoil in Egypt has claimed the lives of many, including journalists. Andrew McKeown looks at the recent death of journalist Shaimaa el-Sabbagh On the morning of January 24th, poet, and a member of the Left Shaimaa el-Sabbagh left her home, who supported the ousting of the to take part in a small political Islamist President by the military. pilgrimage to Tahrir Square, the As soon as the political pilgrims site of the Egyptian Revolution. began their procession, the military, Her cousin, Sami Mohamed wearing riot gear, unleashed tear Ibrahim, has since stated that she gas on the crowds, and fired ‘non was wary of doing so, and that she lethal’ ammunition at the crowd. The urged her friends to reconsider the thunder crack of a shotgun pervaded laying of a memorial wreath there. the air. Then the air cleared, and in Shaimaa feared that members of full sight of the photographers and the militant police might arrest videographers present, Shaimaa or attack them, mistaking them lay dead in the arms of a friend. for supporters or members of the On his knees, he held her to his outlawed Muslim Brotherhood. chest, as blood streamed down Yet, what danger could there her cheeks, staining both their really be? Why would any police bodies. Another friend helped him officer fire upon ordinary citizens carry her limp, lifeless form and, who were unarmed, carrying only cradling her in his arms, carried flowers? Shaimaa kissed her 5 year her through a cloud of tear gas in old son Bilal goodbye, and expecting the vain hope of saving her life. to be home within one or two days, The documenting of her death left him in the care of a friend. She was vivid. Ghada Shahbandar, an then boarded a train to Cairo.

Egyptian Human Rights advocate, By midafternoon, Shaimaa stated “A woman who went out to lay dead in a busy street, and lay a wreath of flowers on Tahrir another Egyptian child was left Square, we see her taking her last motherless due to the brutality of breath. How much more explicit an authoritarian military force. can an image be?” She shunned the Images of her bloody body serve police’s attempt to pin the blame on as proof of the unrest and political a shadowy dissident group, one that violence that have plagued Egypt has little or no sway in government. for years, and of the lethal force “It’s a disgrace.. We have lost the that the Egyptian authorities are appreciation of human life. We have willing to mete out to those who wish lost the value of human blood, and to remember the message declared we call for more and more killing as here four years ago. The cacophony though we have not had enough!” of protest, of defiance, of dissent Shaaima el- Sabbagh is one name once so loud, silenced by whizzing amongst the thousands of people bullets dispatched from a government killed by military operative or bought rifle. The government, which police officers since the beginning acts not only with the backing of, but of the ‘Arab Spring’ in 2011. The under the auspices of, the military, original 18- day uprising against has done this before, and since.

President Hosni Mubarak claimed The pictures of her death, a more than 800 lives. One thousand shattered body and a shattered more were butchered in a single day, dream, went viral, and resonated on August 13th 2013, when soldiers so widely with so many people that and police officers engaged in brutal even President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi conflict with supporters of the ousted offered condolences in a televised President Mohamed Morsi of the appearance. He saw her, he said, Muslim Brotherhood. The summer as “my own daughter.” Shaimaa of 2013 claimed more lives still. el-Sabbagh was no Islamist, and The killing of protestors, and the police’s attempts to deflect political enemies of the state, mainly blame for her death crumbled in the islamists, but also liberals and face of her personal and political leftists, who are generally unarmed, profile: A mother, a well-loved has become a common occurrence

on the streets of the capital city and elsewhere. While Shaimaa boarded the train from Alexandria to Cairo, Sondos Reda, a 17 year old girl, was killed by police when an islamist rally clashed with the police in Alexandria. The next day on January 25th, the anniversary of the uprising, at least 20 people were shot. Five days later, a student protestor was killed to the north of Cairo, in the province of Sharqiya.

Ms. Sabbagh rebelled against the conservative Muslim upringing, and against her father- a muslim preacher- who used to tell her “For the likes of you, wearing pants is modesty.” In her teenage years, she joined a circle of modernist poets who used to meet at Alexandrian cafes. Her friend Khaled Hegazzi professed that her activism stemmed from their café debates. A published avant- garde modernist poet, Shaimaa rejected the overtly political poetry of the past. Maged Zaher, an Egyptian-American poet who has translated some of Ms. Sabbagh’s work said of her work “There is politics, but it is not sloganeering.”

She earned a master’s degree in folklore at the Cairo Academy of Arts,

and devoted herself to documenting and preserving the fading daily traditions of the everyday Egyptian.

Some of her poetry addressed the theme of violence, and in one Shaimaa wrote as a Muslim girl who stood witness to a crucifixion on a Cairo clock tower, hearing the voices of “the people who love God as they damn this moment where the creatures of God approved/ Of crucifying Jesus naked in the crowded square on the clock arms as it declared one in the afternoon.”

A friend, Delphine Blondet, noted that Shaimaa refused payment for her work. “She just loved Egyptian people.. Not the country as it is now, for sure, but really the people.”

In “a moment of collapsing freedoms,” Shaimaa became “a symbol of the revolution,” professed Sayed Abu Elela, a friend who held her after she was shot.

Shaimaa’s story is all too common. It is our solemn duty to lobby all nations and all peoples of this earth to exist and live in compliance and reverence to the fundamental rights of mankind.

The right to freedom of peaceful assembly is enshrined in Article 20 of the United Nations Declaration of Human Rights. A right that the

Egyptian authorities trampled upon.

We are charged with the task of fighting for, and vindicating the rights of, our fellow human beings where the nations in which they reside do not.

We cannot live as free people while there still exists in the world a master or a slave. Our world cannot exist half-free and half in chains. We are either all free, or all are burdened by the fetters of injustice.

postcards from abroad: colorado Being underage stateside doesn’t mean you can’t find plenty to do, as Aideen Doyle finds out in her temporary home of Boulder, Colorado I accepted an exchange year last March in a state I had never heard much about in films or the news, bar a recent monumental law. What I’ve found living and studying here have been some of the best and most telling experiences of my life. Colorado is a unique corner of the American MidWest, and specifically the city I’ve come to call my temporary home is an alluring mix of a college town and a progressive environment. Boulder is the sort of place that hosts an annual event in October comprising of naked cyclists wearing pumpkins over their heads; I’m assured this is a very real thing. You cannot predict what a healthy dose of liberalism and imagination will do to a town.

Everyone you see here knocks the stereotype of the fat American, with a rare person to remind you of the obesity epidemic in the US. This isn’t due to a scarcity of good food or big portion sizes - the good health of Coloradans here is because of the abundance of outdoor activities and obsession with fitness. My weekends are regularly packed with activities such as hiking, camping and snowboarding – and my weekdays spent playing sport or being generally active. It is certainly a healthy environment to pick up habits and unusual pursuits for a pale white Irish girl. Think the Alps meets alternative American culture meets stereotypical Hollywood college.

The snow sports in particular are something to get excited about, with world-class ski resorts such as Aspen within driving distance.

If you’re feeling sore after skiing there are plenty of hot springs to soak your muscles. You’ll be ready for another day on the slopes, pretending you grew up in a country that doesn’t lose the run of itself after an inch of snowfall.

The food is one thing I’ll miss when I return to Ireland. They have, hands down, perfected the hamburger and I’m not sure if I can ever go back.

taken at the summit of quandary Peak in the Tenmile Range photo: paul legan

If typical “American” food isn’t to your liking, there’s always something to meet your tastes from Mexican to Vietnamese. The only problem I’ve had with the food industry here is automatic tipping of 20% on your bill, even if you got an ass of a waiter, and that is something I will continue to try resist. I may come off as slightly Steve Buscemi in Reservoir Dogs and continue the stereotype of the cheap foreigner, but the Eurozone crisis hasn’t been kind to my finances (thanks Greece).

One of the best things about studying here, perhaps subject to some in-state bias, is that Colorado has more sunny days than California. There’s a freedom in constant sunshine to enjoy the outdoors that has left me with a lasting good impression of this state. However you cannot let your guard down on the foot

Being under 21 here, unable to legally go to bars or nightclubs, has made me 17 again.

However 17 year old me never had American college parties to attend.

of a mountain range – Colorado’s unpredictable weather meant that early in one week I was subject to sub freezing temperatures and heavy snow, for the weekend to bring better weather than any Irish summer. Cruel irony means having bad sunburn while it snows ten inches outside.

It hasn’t all been sunshine and mountains however, as I became one victim of America’s bizarre relationship with alcohol. Being under 21 here, unable to legally go to bars or nightclubs, has effectively made me 17 again. However 17 year old me never had American college parties to attend. It is remarkably similar to what one would expect of the students here, with red cups and marijuana (thanks to that previously mentioned monumental law) hard to miss in your social life. If only the American citizenship test should incorporate

an assessment including bouncing a Ping-Pong ball into a red cup, I would become a proud, gun-owning, eagle-loving citizen tomorrow.

However a word of warning: if you ever get caught drinking underage by an American cop, lay on the thick accent and confused tourist face. The police here are not like the Gardaí; you can’t expect to run away from them without ridiculous fines and sometimes probation. Also they have guns, so no running.

I recall bewilderment at American exchange students in UCD, wondering why they never missed a lecture or how they always seemed on top of everything. After six months of navigating three “midterms” per subject, weekly homework, reading quizzes, in-class clicker questions and finals– all I can express is respect for the students here. UCD

is a fantastic university and I have realized my deep appreciation for it, but if you ever want to truly understand the meaning of hard work try getting a decent GPA in a college like CU. Previous exchange students warned me, but nothing can prepare for the body-shock that is a Friday morning 8am lecture.

You can’t put a price on motivation, but if I was taking student loans of $100,000+ for my degree I could see where they’re coming from.

If you ever get the chance to visit this glorious, weird place and turn it down, then you deserve the boring life you lead. In all seriousness, Colorado is an overlooked state but I have found it to be one of the most beautiful landscapes and friendly people – not to mention the fact it has Chick-fil-a.

All are welcomed. Except Colts fans of course, you know what you did. february 18th 2015

Date

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editorial

editorial

a yacht stored behind the student centre photo: james Brady

As much AS we would like to think that our contemporaries in Trinity College Dublin still embody an old, worn-out stereotype of snobbish elitism, they have made a move that we should take under consideration. The recent elections to Trinity’s Students’ Union saw a potentially gamechanging new president election.

Lynn Ruane, who won by a comfortable margin, is refreshingly far from our caricature of a Trinity student. A single mother from Tallaght with a background as a drug addiction worker, Ruane has opened up an important discussion on issues of equality and access to education across the class spectrum.

(Kudos is due to both of TCD’s major student publications, The

University Times and Trinity News who have both set a high bar for critical and informative coverage of Union elections that we will aim to match in the coming weeks.)

The discussion (and concrete change in policy and attitude) that Ruane is hoping to start is well needed in our own university. Figures make it clear to anyone that UCD contains a disproportionate amount of students from fee-paying secondary schools, particularly in South Dublin. While the authorities here frantically scramble to attract global students, there are still areas in Dublin where secondary schools show progression rates of less than 20%.

Most fee-paying schools, of course, have progression rates appoaching 100%. Those who do make it to third

level often struggle as they enter comparatively ill-prepared due to poor educational resources in many areas, or due to the ever-tightening financial constraints on those committed to pursuing further education.

Inclusion, access and equality, the three platfroms on which Ruane campaigned, all must be addressed by any candidates in our upcoming Students’ Union elections. It is easy to criticise our Union as irrelevant or politically ineffectual (this publication has argued both points many times in our history), but the important fact is that a student body tends to get the Union that it deserves. Low student engagement places less pressure on a Union to strive to be as relevant as possible to its electorate, and also leaves it with far less accountability.

Nothing looks likely to change anytime soon. Voter turnout at the marriage equality and constitutional reform referendums held recently by our SU was low by any standard.

Turnout in both hovered at roughly 15%. To many, this is a success, a better turnout than other years or at least the best one that could be expected. Yet to a lot of us, that is a uneasily low figure. Higher turnout shouldn’t be expected in the sabbatical officer and faculty officer elections, unless any candidates manage to galvanise the electorate in some unanticipated way.

There’s a clear connection between issues of class and privelege at university and on-campus political engagement. Some of the most commendable work completed by the

As the poet once asked, what becomes of the broken hearted?

Yes, let it be known that not all the denizens of Belfield’s finest academic institute (by default) spent the feast of St. Valentine courting their liked ones. No, not every young girl was “treated” to an Eddie Rocket’s in Donnybrook while being regaled with tales of the trail of sexual debauchery and moral depravity her mouth-breathing date left behind him across the road in Old Wesley (and that was just in the locker rooms after training). Not every sensitive, intellectually naïve pairing of Arts students spent a romantic evening in the Bernard Shaw arguing the finer points of Kafka, smoking their own insecurities and drinking kosher turf-infused craft ale to forget that they didn’t get into NCAD. In case you can’t parse subtext, you are all scum, is what I’m saying.

I myself spent it alone, though the lack of a corporeal form means I have no need for physical pleasures such as food, drink, and other licentious

activities. I live on spite and malice and mockery. I thrive on the destruction of egos and the imbecility of this university’s powerful. And let it be known that I am satiated.

What has left my spirit so at rest?

Why a new batch of pretenders to the throne, candidates for the SU presidency! So who has made their dubious claim on the throne this year? I have decided to offer them all of a taster of what they can expect next year.

Michael Foley, the first to throw his hat into the ring, has been an average sized man on campus for many years. Not only is he a former treasurer of the L&H (Libation and Hierarchy) society, so he already knows how to cover up financial negligence. He is of course, a member of the Blueshirts. No, not the ones of which you think, but the even more fascist employees of the Student Centre. He may not end up the victor, but he will always have his crown from the South Dublin regional Ed Sheeran lookalike contest 2013.

Talley gives a noble salute to Lynn Ruane, who recently became Trinity’s

Editor Cormac Duffy

SU president. Ruane, a single mother who entered the university as a mature student through an access scheme, has made a convincing pledge to tackle classism and access issues in Irish education. They may have Ruane, but we have Megan “George Lee” Fanning. Fanning is our working class candidate, a voice for the hoi polloi, the unwashed masses, the trash of the world. She didn’t even attend a fee-paying school (she only went to Muckross, the poor thing), and a confidante has told me her mother doesn’t even drive a 4x4. Such is her low status, that she was only the 5th most middle class person on this year’s Young Fine Gael committee.

Cian “Why is that name familiar?”

Aherne. Aherne was of course one of the losing candidates in last year’s Welfare election. The referendum was close, and was ultimately settled by a tie-break competition to see who could organise the least-attended sexual health event. Madam DeSay claimed the prize in the end.

It is unusual for him to lose a Welfare race and then run for

president. It’s the hack equivalent of not getting a place on UCD AFC’s first squad (who lost 6-1 to Dundalk this Friday in one of the stronger performances of their season), and then demanding a trial with Barcelona. To fit this strange attitude, he has borrowed a campaign slogan from Samuel Beckett “Ever tried. Ever failed. No matter. Try again. Fail again. Fail better.”

There’s also some guy from Ag running, but I can probably spare you all another livestock joke.

For regular readers who recall my last encyclical, I have received “advice” that I should be careful discussing the time that the SU fired a middle-aged man with a family, for no reason at all. So I will not mention the time that the SU fired a middleaged man with a family, for no reason at all. I apologise for mentioning the time that the SU fired a middle-aged man with a family, for no reason at all.

Deputy Editor David Corscadden

Staff Reporters Fergus Carroll Roisin Nicholson Niamh O’Regan Lucy Ryan

Art & Design Editor James Brady

CHief Science Writer Aoife Hardesty

News Editor Cian Carton

Technology Reporter Eimear Reilly

Comment Editor Ruth Murphy

GAA CORRESPONDENt Michael Dwyer

Features Editor Gráinne Loughran

Chief Games Writer Adam Donnelly

Science, Health & Technology Editor Conor de Paor

STaff Writers Eithne Dodd Tadgh Dolan Aaron Flood Eva Griffin Emily Longworth Lauren Moore Síofra Ní Shluaghadháin Ray McGrath Ian Mulholland Roisin Murray Tara Hanneffy

Eagarthóir Gaeilge Valerie Ní Thiarnaigh Sports Editor Ciarán Sweeney Otwo Editors Rebekah Rennick & Shane Hannon Games Editor Karl Quigley Film & TV Editor Aaron Murphy Music Editor Sean Hayes Fashion Editor Sarah O’Shea

letters to the editor Letters, corrections and clarifications pertaining to articles published in this newspaper and online are welcome and encouraged.

Letters should be addressed to The Editor, University Observer, UCD Student Centre, Belfield, Dublin 4.

Correspondence may also be sent to editor@universityobserver.ie.

It’s not the duty of students to support the Union whatsoever. It’s the duty of students to take accountability for it. Even if you choose to abstain from casting your ballot or engaging with the organisation, it will continue to exist. When a fellow students’ chance of continuing in futher education comes down to decisions made at a national level relating to fees or student grants, it’s the Union who will be leading that campaign, even if they are likely to lead it in the wrong direction.

The Union is only as good as the students who engage with it. As you spend the coming weeks being constantly canvassed to vote in the new set of sabbatical officers, remember that not voting is not taking responsibility, so at least vote Ron.

the university observer

Talleyrand Tally ho!

Union goes on privately and helps some of the most vulnerable students on campus (I have previously written on the work done by the Welfare and Education officers of the Union). If you’ve never had to depend on the representation of the Union, you should probably consider yourself fortunate and privelege. Much of the work the Union does helps those who need the most support, and it’s no wonder it seems alien and irrelevant to those who don’t face such issues in University.

None of this is to endorse the stances of the Union or the work undertaken by all officers of the Union. There are widespread problems of mismanaged priorities and misguided plans that anyone who follows the Union is aware of.

Deputy Fashion Editor Lucy Coffey Arts & Literature Editor Patrick Kelleher Art & Visual Content TEAM Rhea Cassidy James Healy Laura Iorgulescu Eunice Jun Emily Longworth Roisin McNally

Words Cathal Bergin Siobhán Carr Laura Carroll Kate Cleary Mark Conroy Aideen Doyle Robert Dunne Saul Fidgeon Kieran Fitzgerald Louise Flanagan Martin Healy Jim Hill Jordan Kelly Aisling Kraus Heather Law Catherine Martin Aife McHugh Andrew McKeown Hiba Mir Ian Moore Peter Murphy Mieke O’Brien Melissa O’Sullivan Aaron Poole John Savage

Photography & Illustration Ciara Browne Kate Cleary Louise Flanagan Cathal Gunning Muhamed Jamil Joanna O’Malley

february 18th 2015

sport

sigerson cup: ucd v Gmit With the Sigerson Cup now well underway this season, Michael O’Dwyer looks at how UCD breezed past GMIT, to book their place in the quarter-final The Belfield boys will travel to Cork this weekend to take part in the Sigerson Cup football festival. On Friday, they’ll meet their toughest test yet in the form of DCU, who secured the league trophy at the end of last year. Apart from a bleak display against Kildare where a string of players were injured, John Divilly’s charges had a relatively successful pre-season campaign. Before they bowed out of the O’Byrne Cup, they enjoyed victories at the expense of Carlow and Louth. Last week’s GMIT victory was a carbon-copy of their preliminary-round victory against Athlone IT but a factor in that similarity is that GMIT felt the sore absence of Adrian Molloy, Ronan Steede and brothers Michael and Martin Farragher as the Galway natives were rested in advance of their All-Ireland club semi-final with Corofin, which took place on Saturday last. Farragher was instrumental in dethroning All-Ireland champions St. Vincent’s as he scored 1-2 in total.

UCD’s victory was still a creditable success as their dominance dazzled their opponents right from the offing, especially since they were without their midfield pairing - dual Wexford star Matthew O’Hanlon and Robert McDaid of Louth - owing to injuries.

With such one-sided Sigerson games thus far, UCD still seem to have more to show from their pool of talent. The sprinkling of intercounty talent right through the entire panel is somewhat overwhelming and has left the management team of John Divilly, Bobby O’Sullivan, Brian Mullins, Tim Healy and Ger Lyons with some potential positional headaches before the pinnacle of college football this weekend. There has been little change from their main-15 in general though. Eoghan Keogh has been reliable between the posts while the full-back line of Ryan Wylie, Davey Byrne and Martin O’Cathaláin is a ripe mixture of gritty defensive endeavour. Enthralling is an apt description of the UCD attack.

Ryan Basquel, Brian Fenton and Niall

Photo: James Brady

Kelly are experts in clipping some divine points while Jack McCaffrey’s incisive bursts into attack have been unnerving for most oppositions.

It’s not surprising that McCaffrey alone has ripped some defences to shreds given that he holds the title of Young Footballer of the Year in 2013. Reliable free-taker John Heslin shone against Athlone IT in the preliminary clash in particular and his presence up-front is formidable.

Wexford native Eoghan Nolan wears number 15 and normally creates some complementary scoring options on the opposing side of the field something which has not been used to maximum potential in recent games.

GMIT opened with patience as they attempted to break past UCD’s

defence in a slow fashion for the ultimate amount of effect but no slow clogging of play could withstand the severity and pace of the UCD advance. A crescendo of points arrived as John Heslin, Niall Kelly and Brian Fenton obliged before Mark Hughes completed a one-two with Dublin’s Ryan Basquel for a straight-forward major to put UCD 1-6 to 0-1 clear after 14 minutes.

GMIT finally gnawed into their deficit soon after though. Andy Glennon had a pair of goal chances denied and Niall Darby’s 45-metre kick went astray before Roscommon man Glennon fisted a long ball-in to the net to cut his side’s gap to five points. UCD subsequently closed the half with an illustrious spell

where they outscored their opponents by five-points-to-one. Jack McCaffrey set Ryan Basquel up for a sweet point while Niall Kelly embellished his side’s lead after Páraic Harnan and Mark Hughes had aided him.

A spellbinding brace of Jack McCaffrey points were instrumental in broadening UCD’s advantage as they led by 1-11 to 1-2 at the interval.

Indeed, the restart marked a repeat of fortunes for UCD as once again they landed five points while a pointed free from Alan Meenaghan was the only response GMIT could muster. A pair of John Heslin pointed frees kept the scoreboard ticking over as UCD enjoyed their greatest numerical advantage of 13 points after 44 minutes (1-16 to 1-3). Darby

made a late rally of attacks for the visitors but miskicked a penalty earned by Alan Meenaghan for GMIT. In characteristic fashion, John Heslin bounded through the opposition’s defence and was awarded a free, which the Westmeath man and former Australian Football rookie booted over to ensure that UCD will play in the final-four of the Sigerson in Cork on Friday from 2 p.m. Should the students produce a swash-buckling display, UCD’s place on the top of roll of honour chart could be reaffirmed as the college currently boasts 32 titles.

The 2015 Cricket World Cup: What’s it all about?

With the 2015 Cricket World Cup due to start in the coming days, Peter Murphy looks at what people can expect from this year’s competition For most of us cricket means very little. It is a much maligned sport that receives little coverage and lots of abuse amongst the garden variety Irish sports fan. As such, very few of us will watch the World Cup, which began on Saturday and will continue for the next 6 weeks.

Cricket is widely viewed as an inaccessible pastime, enjoyed solely by rich men, sitting on the veranda of their colonial estates who regularly yell “tally-ho”. This is despite there being a vibrant cricket scene in Ireland and throughout the world.

We grumble about the complexity of the rules, while being able to dissect the intricacies of the offside rule in football, discuss the merits of the quick lineout and ball change in rugby and sagely pontificate on the 367 rules of American Football.

And while sometimes cricket may seem to exist in a different stratosphere to other sports, it does provide the same entertainment that we all seek from sports, thrilling contests and compelling human interest stories. One only needs to look at the history of the Cricket World Cup to see this.

Only a basic understanding of the simple scoring system is required to make a run chase exciting. Whether the required score is 50 or 350, tension very regularly occurs as bowlers find form in an instant and a team’s once comfortable looking run rate begins to dip dangerously.

Equally a game mired by low scores and slow pace can be transformed in the blink of an eye by a huge strike or a stunning acrobatic catch. In this regard, the Cricket World Cup has been the site of many of cricket’s most exciting games and moments.

Such as Sri Lanka’s victory over Zimbabwe in 1992, following a run chase of 313 or the moment when 20 stone, prison officer, Dwayne Leverock leapt like a gazelle to produce a one-handed catch of the century candidate for Bermuda.

It is stories like that of Leverock that truly encapsulate the entertainment of the Cricket World Cup. Many Irish people are familiar with Ireland’s greatest moments in the competition, knocking 18 february 18th 2015

Pakistan out of the 2007 World of lowly Scotland, Afghanistan and Cup and our historic win against Bangladesh to claim fourth spot.

England in the 2011 edition of the However, as a form team, Scotland one day cricket show piece. These should not be written off. Having moments, when a group of unlikely trounced Ireland in a warm up heroes shatter the odds are the match and pushed West Indies hallmark of the Cricket World Cup. to the end, they are currently the Off the field, the Cricket World “minnows” to watch in Pool A. Cup has never failed to produce Pool B is the much more open drama, which while at times has of the two. South Africa and India been damaging to cricket, intrigues should canter into the knockout viewers to no end. Ranging from top stages, with the Indians marginal drawer tabloid scandals such as the favourites to win the pool. After drunken Freddie Flintoff pedalo that, a mediocre Pakistan team incident produced in 2007 to more should also squeeze through. The serious incidents such as the death fourth spot however should be of the Pakistani Coach in mysterious more contestable. Political fall circumstances (also in 2007), outs amongst key members of staff which eventually was attributed to leading to collapsed tours and a natural causes after detours through near open revolt of players, led by theories of match fixing and gang fan favourite Chris Gayle has left related murders. The Cricket World the West Indies in disarray and it Cup has even produced a platform remains to be seen how their form for political dissidence. In 2003 will be. Considering the calibre Andy Flower and Henry Olonga, of players in the West Indies team, both of the Zimbabwean national and the weakening of the Irish team, condemned the “death of bowling pool since the last World democracy” that the administration Cup, West Indies must be fancied to of Robert Mugabe had orchestrated. go through, with Ireland finishing As result, neither player has in either fifth or sixth in their pool ever returned to Zimbabwe.

Amongst the off-field chaos, West This year’s World Cup is promising Indies will almost certainly not more drama on and off the pitch. challenge in the later stages of Australia has been established as the competition. They will exit at clear favourites by both book makers the quarter final stages alongside and experts alike, they are the England, Pakistan and Sri Lanka. team to watch. Backed by the home While an Australia-New Zealand crowd and home field (something Final is the ideal scenario from an which is very important in terms of atmospheric point of view, India will understanding the bounce of the probably join the Aussies in the final ball) they will be the team to beat in and despite the loss of some of India’s Pool A. The stand out game of this most influential stars from their pool will most likely be Australia triumph in the previous World Cup, versus Sri Lanka, and it could be they have a good chance of upsetting the game that decides the winner the odds and winning the tournament. and runner up in the pool. New However, as in World Cups of the Zealand will fancy themselves past an unforeseen twist will almost to also cruise through this pool certainly throw all preconceived and considering their status as notions of certain teams out the joint hosts, second place wouldn’t window, and a David will emerge be out of the question, however in the field full of Goliaths and third place looks more realistic. cricket fans all over the world will The fourth and final team to be entertained. So if you are one progress from this seven team pool of the people who regularly finds should be England. Currently on themselves thinking or saying an indifferent run of form, this any of the things described at the comparatively poor England side, beginning of this article, give this captained by Irishman Eoin Morgan, World Cup a chance, you never know, should be able to fend off the efforts you might just be knocked for six!

sport

UCD continue fine run of form against UL and DCU

With Marian continuing to find form at the right time as the season draws to a close, James Hill and Ciarán Sweeney look at how the team fared against UL and DCU as UCD begin to round off their solid 2014/15 campaign.

UCD Marian 92-71 UL eagles

Thanks to the claiming of an early lead and a late scoring spree, UCD Marian defeated the UL Eagles this past Saturday, 92-71, in the team’s final home game of the regular season. This was the second time in a matter of weeks that Marian had defeated the Munster outfit, with UL falling victim to a well-drilled Marian display in the semi-final of the Men’s National Basketball Cup. With Templeogue having lost to BFG Neptune on February 7th, this most recent victory also enabled the UCD squad to tie its fourth-place adversary. UCD and Templeogue now stand locked at 22 points and are engaged in an intense battle for Champions Trophy qualification.

Meanwhile, the overall narrative was and remains much different and much bleaker for the UL team, which just recently sunk to ninth place, second to last, in the Men’s Premier League standings – further out of playoff contention.

The beginning of Saturday’s contest seemed to reflect the two squads’ current situations, as top-tier UCD quickly outscored and outpaced downtrodden UL. Spurred by an early 3-pointer from team captain Conor Meany, the UCD squad edged ahead of its opponent

by 11 points within approximately four minutes, bringing the score to 13-2. Aggressive interior offence and defence would enable UCD to maintain the upper hand, as centres Neil Baynes and Preston Ross – as well as power forward Kevin Foley – made their presences known on both ends of the court.

UL’s Orlando Parker, the squad’s 6-foot-8 centre, acted as his team’s best counter to these big men, keeping the contest from becoming a full-on rout. He repeatedly scored, rebounded, and drew fouls for UL in the quarter’s closing minutes. However, his teammates were struggling to make necessary shots, including open looks.

Additionally, while Parker’s play was remarkable, it couldn’t equal that of the surging UCD players. As a result, the quarter ended with UCD keeping its double-digit advantage, leading 25-11 at the first’s end.

The second quarter would see the UCD squad increase its already formidable lead, due in large part to the work of Baynes and Foley. The latter would be the first to strike, scoring four points in the opening minute. Baynes’ spurt would come slightly later, starting with about seven minutes remaining in the

second quarter. After that sevenminute mark and over the next three minutes’ time, the 6-foot-6 UCD centre would thrash through the paint to the tune of nine points.

Further support to UCD’s offensive drive was given by Meany, whose play-architecting better enabled his teammates to score, and Ross, who consistently acted as an inside threat. By the conclusion of the second quarter, after UCD shooting guard Conor Ross sent a 3-pointer looping into the basket during the final seconds, the home team was winning by a score of 53-34.

Though UCD held a 19-point lead heading into halftime, UL had begun to regain its footing in the second quarter. The squad’s point guard, Scott Kinevane, had emerged as an offensive leader – scoring eight points and passing well over the course of the second quarter. In addition, UL guard Neil Campbell had begun to regain his shooting stroke, making a step-back jumper and long-range 2-pointer during the quarter. Though the deficit was large, with UL’s offence starting to function more effectively, the away team seemed increasingly prepared to mount a rally against UCD. And UL would indeed have a comeback bid – but one that fell short.

Aided by the temporary benching of Baynes and Foley, whose aggressive inside play had caused them to amass a collective seven fouls by the third quarter’s start, and also helped by some UCD turnovers caused by UL’s use of the full-court press, the visitors were able to briefly make their opponents’ lead a single-digit one.

With about two minutes remaining in the third quarter, the Limerick men were down by only eight points, losing 63-55. But this was the closest the UL team would come to upsetting the UCD squad. With Baynes and Foley on the bench, Meany and Ross kept the lead in the Dubliners’ possession.

Outmatching his defenders and dominating the paint, Ross was able to draw three fouls and increase his point total to 19 during the quarter.

Meanwhile, Meany proceeded to orchestrate an efficient UCD offence and also made a 3-pointer to close the third, giving his team a double-digit advantage once more.

Entering the fourth and final quarter, UCD had a 66-55 lead over UL. The performances of Meany and Ross would only grow stronger during the final 10 minutes of the contest.

Meany would score an additional seven points in the fourth, deftly shooting from inside and along the perimeter. The team captain would finish the game with 24 points, a shooting percentage of 53.3 percent, four assists, and five rebounds. None the shabbier, Ross would score six points within a span of two minutes during the last quarter. The centre’s final point total was a team-high 25, off 60.0 percent shooting from the field. He also snatched a squad-best 13 rebounds. Returning from the bench, Baynes and Foley would also make contributions to UCD’s fourthquarter drive – complementing the play of Meany and Ross. The centre and power forward would combine for seven points in the fourth. Baynes would finish the contest with 20 total points, coming off 63.6 percent shooting, and 10 total rebounds. Foley, who had expertly bullied his way into the paint, would finish the game with 12 points on 66.7 percent shooting.

On the backs of these players – Baynes, Foley, Meany, and Ross – the Dubliners topped their opponents from Limerick by 21 points, 92-71.

Though defeated, though now the occupants of the league’s ninthplace position, UL’s players also contributed noteworthy performances.

Parker completed the game with 20 points, on 53.3 percent shooting, with 12 total rebounds. Kinevane, who played especially well in the second quarter, completed the contest with a team-best seven assists and 13 points.

And Campbell, who rediscovered his shooting touch by the end of the second, scored 14 points on 62.5 percent shooting from the field.

Following on from this success, UCD then went to DCU and came away

with a fine result against a strong opposition. In a high-scoring and competitive contest, UCD edged the match by 9 points with a final scoreline of 89-80. With only a few games left of the league season, the players and coach Ioannis Liapakis know the importance of finishing strong. Since the disappointing result in the final of the Men’s National Basketball Cup in the National Basketball Stadium in Tallaght, where UCD were defeated by a very strong UCC Demons side, the Dublin side have been impressive in the league. An overall impressive display by the college was cemented by star performances from 3 UCD reliables, Neil Baynes, Preston Ross and Conor Meany. Meany high scored with a combined total of 26 points and a field-goal percentage of 53.3% having made 8 field goals from 15 attempts.

Ross and Meany picked up 21 and 19 points respectively, with Baynes shooting an impressive field goal percentage of 69.2% from 13 attempts. UCD’s winning display was capped off in style

by Ross, who dunked one of his baskets so powerfully, that play had to be stopped as the rim and the basket started to collapse. Ross literally gave the idiom “bringing the house down” a new meaning.

With only a couple of games left in UCD Marian: 4. Conor Ross, SG 5. Conor Meany, SG 6. Michael Chubb, PG 7. Ciaran Dunne, SG 9. Dan James, SG 10. Barry Drumm, PG 11. Francesco Borsetti, C 12. Neil Baynes, C 13. Rafa Burgos, F 14. Renatas Nedzveckas, PF 15. Preston Ross, C 21. Kevin Foley, PF

the league, Marian on the one hand will be looking up at third place Travel Sword Thunder to try and overtake them before the league season ends, but at the same time they will also be looking over their shoulder at Templeogue, which lie in fifth place and just 3 points behind UCD. With Marian’s next game a tricky one down in Cork and UCC, they will hope to banish the demons of the cup final loss to the Munster outfit, and will hope to reverse the result that saw them also lose to UCC earlier in the season at home in Belfield. In the same weekend that 1st and 4th clash, 2nd and 3rd will also go head-to-head, as Killester and Travel Swords Thunder, two teams with only a point separating them meet. Should Killester prevail as victors in that game, UCD would play Travel Swords Thunder in the last game of the season, knowing that a win there would not only cap off a good run into the end of the season, but would also mean they would clinch 3rd place in the Men’s league. Should this happen, coach Ioannis Liapakis would be very content with a highly respectable league finish as well as a season in which they made the cup final for the first time since 2011. It leaves it all to play for still, with the season drawing ever closer to its conclusion.

UL Eagles 4. Jamie McAuliffe 5. Patrick McCarthy 6. Eoin Quigley 7. Scott Kinevane 8. Neil Campbell 9. Seamus Hickey 10. Andrew Dawson 11. Matt Hall 12. Stephen King 13. Jrystian Burchardt 14. Patryk Lewandowski 21. Orlando Parker 22, James Brophy 23, John Shiels 24, Ronan Howlin 25, Cillian Fahy

The badger As the Badger sits wallowing in the pit that is a Valentine’s Day spent alone, he reflects on the more pitiful lives of the English Cricket team and a broken Tiger Woods

With the Cricket World cup almost upon us, the badger is looking forward to more on and off field controversy, there is always something fishy going on behind the scenes in cricket. In 1976, Englishman John Lever was a bowler who rubbed Vaseline on his (cricket) balls to make them bounce awkwardly. Lever is not the only one who is guilty of rubbing Vaseline on balls to make them bouncy, as the badger sits alone writing this on the evening on Valentine’s Day. The badger can’t feel too sorry for himself though, the England cricket team are now so bad, that their captain isn’t even English. The founders of cricket have fallen from grace to such an extent that they now need an Irishman, Eoin Morgan to lead the team.

Also, on the point of falls from grace,

Freddy Adu, an American footballer who was once dubbed the “new Pelé”, is now so bad, that he has left the sport and is now a lowly nightclub promoter in Washington. Adieu Adu. At long last, Aston Villa have sorted out their managerial woes by replacing Paul Lambert with Tim Sherwood.

Aston Villa have been setting records for all the wrong reasons this season by not being able to score at all. They went on a run without a goal so long, that you could watch them score, and then watch every Rocky Balboa film back-to-back and you still wouldn’t have missed their next goal. Who needs a bedtime story to put your child to bed, when you can just stick on Match of the Day, and watch Christian Benteke miserably attempt breaking the deadlock for Villa.

From an Aston Villa management point

from Leixlip Town. Youngsters Karl Skinner, Dylan Watts and Maxi Cougoun have also been brought up from the under 19 squad.

Athlete Matthew Flood.

On the second day, the UCD team again stepped up to the plate in the Long Distance section of the competition, as Ad Astra scholar Aisling Conlan performed well to take second place in the Women’s High Performance Division. In the Men’s General Purpose Division, Ross Kerrigan, the club’s current captain performed well to clinch third place.

In the Men’s high performance, UCD clinched 5th and 6th place through David Mulrooney and Peter O’Sullivan, whilst taking fifth place in the General Purpose Duo through the team of Niall Finch and Evan O’Keefe. UCD rounded off a great competition on the third and final day, where Aisling Conlon took first place in the Boater-X race.

of view, you know there is time for a change when George Hook has a better chance of scoring Cheryl Cole than your team do of scoring against Arsenal.

So it’s back to square one for Aston Villa, and it’s also back to square one for Tiger Woods, when his back gave way after 12 holes in the Farmer Insurance Open. You know your career is wallowing when you drive the holes of 12 farmers, that kind of action is enough for anyone’s back to give way. He got his wood caught in some serious rough there. Badger out.

Sports Digest ciarán Sweeney

volleyball The UCD Women’s Volleyball team did themselves proud with a very respectable performance in Volleyball Student Cup, hosted by the University of East London.

The competition is one which is contested between the colleges and universities of the British Isles, but as is tradition, invitation are extended to the Irish Varsity Champions, in this case, UCD for the women’s volleyball and GMIT for the men. With UCD being pushed close in their group stage, they showed great character to edge into 2nd place in the group and claim a place in the knockouts.

Unfortunately however, the Dublin outfit couldn’t progress any further than the quarter-finals, where they lost out in a hard fought match

against Essex University, losing in the end 2-0. This result was made even more respectable by the fact that Essex went on to progress all the way to the final, where they were beaten by defending champions Durham University.

soccer With UCD AFC now starting life in the League of Ireland Division One, Ireland’s second-tier football league, new manager Collie O’Neill has named his 22-man squad for the upcoming season as he hopes to get the college straight back into the Airtricity League again. With a few of the UCD players departing after last season’s relegation, the team is made up of old and new faces. There is a new look central defence, made up of two players how have been

brought back into the fold for the club.

These two players are Michael Leahy, who left UCD to play for University of Limerick for two season and he is being joined by Evan McMillan who, after four years away from Belfield, has returned as a player/coach.

Great news for O’Neill is the relative stability within the squad considering the relegation and despite the loss of goalkeeper Conor O’Donnell, who had a great season last year between the posts, O’Neill will be delighted to keep skipper Robbie Benson and Chris Mulhall, as well as key figures such as Ian Ryan and Mark Langtry in defence, and striker Conor Cannon. Other new recruits brought include Ryan Swan, formerly of Bray Wanderers, Jack Watson from Shamrock Rovers, Declan Brennan from Athlone Town, Gary O’Neill from English side Hereford United and Jamie Doyle

kayaking The UCD Kayaking team made a great account of themselves as they placed fourth in the Irish Intervarsities, a competition that was held from the 6th until the 8th of February. On the first day of the competition, the UCD team took on the river Boluisce in Galway, a challenging river which yields a fastpace race and the UCD team pulled out all the stops to make history by finishing first in that event. UCD also won the golden medal in their final event of the first day, a tough matchup against DIT, with the winning golden goal made by UCD Canoe Polo

february 18th 2015

sport Ciarán Sweeney Sports Editor

On the 31st of October 2014, UCD AFC travelled to Eamonn Deacy Park in Galway to try and overturn a 2-1 deficit that they had set for themselves in the Belfield Bowl four days earlier. The trouble for the Dublin side was amplified in Connacht, as they fell victim to a ruthless Galway performance, beating College 3-0 on the day and a thumping 5-1 on aggregate. In reality, the game was not lost over two legs, it was lost over a season where results didn’t go their way, and where performances often lacked against teams they should have beaten. The set-up was screaming out for changes to be made, and that is exactly what UCD did, with a changing of the guard in the form of Colin O’Neill, who has replaced Aaron Callaghan as the UCD manager. As well as this, Pat Devlin has taken up the position of UCD Director of Football, and as a man who was Assistant Manager to Steve Staunton for four years, his wealth of experience shows real intent by the College and his appointment demonstrates their hunger to get back into the Airtricity. But if you break your leg you have to x-ray it to see what went wrong before you can walk again and to this end, McNally explains the off-the-pitch reasons concerning last season’s disappointing campaign: “I’d say going back 5 years ago with a lot of the clubs making cutbacks and stuff, we’d slowly been cutting our budget back so the relegation was probably coming. It wasn’t a case of whether it happens, it was a case of when will it happen.

So we’ve been gradually cutting back every year and as a result of that, we’ve been losing players. Once our players came through the scholarship system, they’d been moving on quicker than they had been before, so we’d lost our ability to retain our players for a year or two, something we would have been able to do for the majority of time we stayed in the Premier Division. So it was as a result of ongoing budget cuts plus Cillian Morrison signing for Cork halfway through the season, Ben Mohamed being out for six months of the season, Mark Langtry getting injured and Tomás Boyle, the centre-half who played the first seven or eight games, was out for the rest of season. So we probably lost three or four key players and of all the seasons we probably didn’t have the back up to cover that.”

While UCD were losing money, many teams around them were heading in the other direction, a case of unfortunate timing for the college, as McNally explains the reintroduction of full-time club for some of the teams in the League: “For other clubs, money was starting to come back into the game. The likes of Cork, Dundalk, Pat’s, and Shamrock Rovers were all spending money again. They had gone all full-time again, the league, where it use to almost all be professional and then it went down to two professional clubs, was now creeping back up. It’s now six, seven, eight full-time clubs so we were financially under pressure and we got squeezed out of the league.”

2009 was the last time UCD were in the second-tier of Irish football and that season, they bounced straight back up into the Airtricity League as they beat Shelbourne by a point to be crowned champions. So albeit unfamiliar, the situation isn’t completely alien to the club, and with a strong core group of players still at the club, McNally is hopeful that the club can emulate their previous achievement and bounce straight back up: “We still have the core scholarship players and the good news is that a lot of them were in the first team last year. Our scholarship players are getting exposure to first-team football because we’re not really signing senior professionals like we used to. We used to have a mixture between a scholarship-based team, experienced graduates and one or two non-UCD players. Now it’s all young lads on scholarships but a lot of them played last year so they would’ve got a lot of experience. I think we’ll have to build the team up, we’ll have to stay within our ethos and our financial restrictions but we’ve also put a big effort into bringing in a couple of other people and we’ve put a bigger effort into fundraising, so we’re not scaling back much. Our budget is much the same and we’ve managed to hold on to most of our scholarship players and we’ve got some good young players coming 20 february 18th 2015

UCD KEEN TO HIT THE GROUND RUNNING AS THEY BEGIN LIFE IN DIVISION ONE With UCD AFC getting ready for life outside of the Airtricity League, Ciarán Sweeney sits down with Diarmuid McNally, a man at the forefront of UCD Football, to discuss the upcoming season ahead of the first game in Division One against Cobh Ramblers next month

Photos from ucd v drogheda last october PHOTO: james brady

in. Whether we’re good enough to get out of the First Division in year one, I don’t know, but we would be hopeful. The aim of the club is very much to get back into the Premier Division. And that doesn’t mean it necessarily has to happen next year, but we will certainly build a foundation. We would be hoping at least to make the play-offs.”

With players coming and going as the new season beckons, McNally also talked about how the scholarship system works within in the club, both in terms of the Ad Astra scholarships from the college and the scholarships from the club itself: “We have a limited number of places on the Ad Astra, but the fact that we’re playing Premier Division or First Division doesn’t really matter, the experience of a player coming in on scholarship doesn’t really change. They still are going to get the same benefits and

I’d say going back 5 years ago with a lot of the clubs making cutbacks and stuff, we’d slowly been cutting our budget back so the relegation was probably coming. It wasn’t a case of whether it happens, it was a case of when will it happen

they’re still going to get to experience playing football. Okay, it’s not in the Premier Division, but it’s still the elite level and they’re still going to develop in that environment.”

McNally also stressed the importance of the First Division, from a positive point of view, in terms of how it can be a great platform for player development, particularly among the younger players: “the first division suits some players and it’s going to be particularly positive for our under 19’s players.

The jump from under 19’s football to Premier Division football is a big jump. Four of those players are now coming into the first team. The First

Division will be a good level for them to continue their progression.”

With such an emphasis now placed on these under 19 players, UCD are always keeping in close contact with Ireland schools teams to watch out for any talent rising from the youth ranks: “We would have close connections with the Irish schools team and liaise with those and try to get players that can get into college and fit the bill because they have to be not just elite players but also have to have the academic requirements. Now we’re looking at possibly setting up a ‘reintroduction to education programme’ with the academics here, for some of these lads that are coming back from England with no education.”

McNally says that a large part of this return to Ireland for so many young hopefuls is the ruthless demand for talent in the English Premier League, as the League casts its net now far wider than Ireland and even Europe, to a worldwide pool of players from Asia, Africa and America: “The players that we would be familiar with that would have headed over to England in the 80s or 90s, a lot of those players wouldn’t make it in today’s world as they would never have got the chance.

Players now come back quicker and they are at a loose end having failed but then they have a double knock-back when they struggle to make it here in the Airtricity league off the back of not making it in England. So this structure could get them a reintroduction to education, get them into UCD and this would then be the goal for player welfare. If they can bounce back from a footballing view it would be fantastic, but even if they don’t, they will have this fall-back of an education through the programme.”

It will be vital for UCD to try and hit the ground running early on in the League, to try and build up momentum early that they can carry through the season as they hope for promotion. The College’s first match is away to Cobh Ramblers, which precedes tough fixtures against Athlone and Shelbourne. With no easy games for UCD, McNally is fully aware of how tough it will be stave off stiff competition for promotion: “Athlone will be strong and they just missed out on surviving last season, finishing only a couple of points behind us and they seem to have invested a bit, and Shels as well made it to be play-offs last year so they will be tough. Wexford Youths will be the dark horses, they just missed out on the play-offs last year and got a couple of good results against Galway last year as well who ended up getting into the Airtricity, so those three teams will probably be the three. But having said that, Finn Harps, Waterford and Cobh would be experienced First Division teams, and albeit they haven’t shown

qualified for Europe by finishing 1st and 2nd in the Airtricity League.

Despite the main goal of promotion back to the Airtricity, McNally says the club would welcome an opportunity to also play in Europe: “Well I think it’s a positive and would be great, we’ve been in Europe twice before. We played in 1984 albeit a long time ago, but played a famous match against Everton in the European Cup Winners’ Cup and then we also played in the Intertoto Cup which was the early 2000’s preEuropa League competition to qualify for the UEFA cup. It’d be great experience for the players and the staff and it would be a huge profile for the club and the college but while it’s something we would embrace, our main focus is on the league and if its happens it would be great and if not, it’s not the end of the world.”

On a more general level, worries any major signs of investment, those are mounting from an FAI point of three could still be near the top as view, as Ireland slipped to 67th in well by the end of the season.” the FIFA World Ranking on the Last season’s campaign was 12th of February, just three places not all bleak however. Despite the off their lowest ever ranking of poor results, UCD AFC kept up a 70th held last June. McNally again fine discipline record, a feat that tried to dissect the reason behind is rewarded each year by UEFA, such a dip in the standard of Irish who grant the team with the best football on an international footing: discipline record in the league with “If you look back to the teams like the overall best record a place in Liverpool, Arsenal and Manchester Europe. With Ireland currently sitting United in the 1980s, these teams top of the best discipline table, with were all challenging for cups and only 2 months left until the winner is they consisted of a lot of our Irish announced, 3rd place in the league players competing at the top level.

UCD would claim a place in Europe Our players were constantly playing as Dundalk and Cork have already against the likes of Juventus and

we’re looking at possibly setting up a ‘reintroduction to education programme’ with the academics here, for some of these lads that are coming back from England with no education

Bayern Munich and now, when Ireland go out to play an international match against the likes of France of Germany, they are playing against players who are playing Champions League but our players themselves have no experience of such a high standard and this is the problem.”

On Saturday the 7th of March, new boss Colin O’Neill will lead his troops into the first battle of the season away to Cobh. Momentum is a priceless phenomenon in a league where form means everything and where a few poor results can lead a team into disarray. Despite the 2-1 and 6-1 losses to Dundalk, the intensive pre-season has churned the team into a squad hungry for top-flight football, and the beginning of the hopeful path back to the Airtricity, is now mouth-wateringly close.